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The COMPLETE HOSTESS 



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CHAFING-DISH SUPPER. 



The COMPLETE 
HOSTESS ^ ^ 



EDITED BY 

CLARA E. LAUGH LIN 




D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 

NEW YORK 

1906 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
TwoCooies Received 

iy«AR g 1906 

n Copyright Entry 
i ^lASS (Z^ XXc. i^o. 

/ 3 4^0 73 

COPY S. 



• (.^^f 



,v 



Copyright, 1906, by 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 



PubUsIied Fcbrnary, 1906 



INTRODUCTION 



Completely to cover the subject of entertainment 
in one small volume is an impossibility so manifest 
that no one will wonder at our not doing it. The 
purpose of this little book has not been to furnish 
an encyclopedia of etiquette and entertainment, but 
to gather together a reasonable number and variety 
of well-tried social formulae so that a woman who 
wants to give a birthday party for her five-year-old 
son, or a lawn tea for her visiting sister-in-law, or 
who must think up some idea for the church bazaar 
or Fete of All Nations, shall be able to find in these 
pages suggestions which her own clever wit will 
amplify and adapt and make personal and charming. 

Of late years, a multitude of hints and directions 
for every sort of entertaining have been published in 
the magazines, but few women have kept files of 
these, or books of clippings, and nearly every woman 
in the land is confronted at more or less frequent 
occasions with the desire or necessity of entertaining 
and the wonder what she shall do. We hope a great 
many women will find this volume indispensable, that 
they will keep it on their desks and refer to it con- 
stantly, finding in it ever some good, practical idea 



vi INTRODUCTION 

to carry with them to the social committee meetings 
of church and club, some welcome suggestion about 
the hospitality of their own homes, some bright idea 
that, introduced at the party of a friend, will call 
forth the fervent gratitude of the hostess. 

C. E. L. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 

INFORMAL ENTERTAINING IN THE HOME 
By Clara E. LAtroHLiN and Priscilla Leonard 

PAGE 

Informal dinners — High tea — A chafing-dish supper — A 
stag dinner — Oyster roast — Informal luncheons — After- 
noon tea — Kaffee Klatsch — Neighborhood card party 
— Sewing circle — Informal entertainments , . , 1-24 

CHAPTER II 

FORMAL ENTERTAINING IN THE HOME 
By CJlara E. Laughlin and Priscilla Leonard 

Formal dinners and luncheons — New Year's dinner — Val- 
entine dinner — ^Washington's birthday — Saint Patrick's 
Day — April Fool's Day — Easter luncheon — Fourth 
of July — Engagement announcement — Apple-blossom 
luncheon — Fishermen's luncheon — Rose or sweet-pea 
luncheon — Violet luncheon — Rainbow luncheon — Pro- 
gressive dinner — Balls . . , . . . . 25-49 

CHAPTER III 

OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 
By Priscilla Leonard 

Garden party — May-Day party — Fourth-of-July party — A 
Chinese feast — Flower party — Lawn hunts — Evening 
lawn reception — A naming party — Bam party — Picnics 

vii 



viii CONTENTS 



— Fourth-of-July picnic — Surprise picnic — Tete-i-tete 
picnic — Progressive picnic — Open-air vaudeville picnic 
— Fishing party — Clambake — A farm picnic — Corn 
roast — Straw ride — Souvenir picnic — A sailing party — 
Drives — Sleighing parties . . .... 50-69 

CHAPTER IV 

CHILDREN'S PARTIES 
By Eleanora K. Marble 

Cat and mouse — An animal party — A doll's party — Birth- 
day party — The lone fisherman — Hiss and clap — Indoor 
bubble contest — ^Topsy-turvy concert — United States 
mail — Fox and hen — A valentine party — All Fools' Day 
— Fourpaws menagerie — Menagerie number two — 
Knight of the whistle — Knights Templar — Kissing the 
Pope's toe — An egg hunt — An Easter rabbit party — 
May Day party — Independence Day — Duck on a rock 
— Lawn skittles — Lawn bowls — Stars and Stripes — 
Lawn bubble party — Miss Columbia's tea party — 
Over-all party — Little Boy Blue party — Acorn lawn 
party — Hallowe'en frolics — A Brownie party — Christ- 
mas parties — Home of Santa Claus — Shadow panto- 
mimes . 70-101 

CHAPTER V 

ENTERTAINMENTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM TWELVE TO 
SEVENTEEN YEARS OF AGE 

By Eleanora K. Marble 

New Year's Eve — A leaf party — A nautical tea — Leap-year 
dance or party — Progressive proposals — Love's target 
— A Cupid party — College hearts — Pillow climbing — 
Fourth of July — A veranda party — A roof party — A 
dicker party — A swap party — Hallowe'en — Hunt for 
fortune — Christmas 102-128 



CONTENTS 


ix 


CHAPTER VI 




WEDDINGS 




By Clara E. Laughlin 


PAGE 

. 129-155 



Weddings 



CHAPTER VII 

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 
By Eleanor A K. Marble 

Wooden wedding — Woolen wedding — Tin wedding — Silk 
and fine-linen wedding — Silver wedding — Golden wed- 
ding — Diamond wedding 156-168 

] 
CHAPTER VIII 

COTILLONS AND FANCY-DRESS PARTIES FOR ADULTS AND 
OLDER YOUNG PEOPLE 

By Sarah Cory Rippey 

Mulligan Guards — The mine — Umbrellas — Japanese fete 
— Letter-box — Inscriptions — The hotel runners — Run- 
ning the gantlet — Blind man's buff — The monster muff 
— The Mikado — Air balls — St. Valentine's hat — Fish- 
ing — Regatta — Nom de plume — Tapers — Broken hearts 
— Woolen balls — Bibs — The scarecrow — Aunt Sallie — 
The lattice — The giant walking hat — Sunflowens — 
Broom, lantern, and umbrella — Gentlemen ballet dan- 
cers — Foils with powder puffs — Fishing rods — Dice — 
Croquet — Matching colors — The enchanted circle — The 
bride — Tenpins — Bags — Wireless telegraphy — 'Fancy 
dress parties — A Buster Brown party — A reminiscence 
party — The baby show — An ancestor's reunion — A St. 
Patrick's Day party — A mi-careme party — A harvest- 
home party — An animated cake carnival — Our holidays 
—A New Year's Eve party 169-199 



X CONTENTS 

CHAPTER IX 

CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 
By Mrs. John Foster Kirk, Jr. 

PAGE 

New Year's dinner — New Year's drill — Men's supper — The 
baby show — Guessing social — Another guessing social — 
A Saturday sale — A chicken-pie supper — Oyster supper 
— An orchard tea — A Fourth-of-July lawn tea — A Jap- 
anese fair — Color social — Birthday social — Birthday 
party — A rag bee — Valentine social — Another valentine 
party — The cobweb .social — A children's sleighride — 
The fish supper — ^Tableaux — Cake and candy sale — 
Handkerchief sale — Pound party — Clipping party — 
Daisy tea — Flower bazaar — Holding a bazaar — Side 
shows — Dolls' millinery show — Photographic gallery — 
Tableau of Mother Goose — Bachelor' s last evening 
— ^The character party — A Dickens evening — Pillow 
drill 200-219 

CHAPTER X 

LARGE [PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 
By Evangeline Kendall 

General suggestions — A town circus — A county fair — An 
amateur vaudeville show — The art loan and trades 
exhibit — Rummage sales — A Twelfth-night revel — A 
May festival — A flower carnival — A fete of all nations 
— Festival of days — A carnival of lanterns — A kirmess 
— A Hallowe'en party — Amateur theatricals — A charity 
baU — The Jarley waxworks — ^The Ladies' Magazine — A 
patriotic anniversary 220-241 

CHAPTER XI 

ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES, FEDERATED CLUBS, ETC. 
By Priscilla Leonard 

Entertaining congresses, federated clubs, etc. . . 242-257 



CONTENTS xi 

CHAPTER XII 

CLUBS 
By Priscilla Leonard 

PAQS 

Sewing club — Economy club — Book club — Travel club — 
Dinner club — Luncheon club — Card club — Literary club 
— Authors' club — Cooking club — Country club — Camp- 
ing club 258-273 

CHAPTER XIII 

HOSTESS AND GUEST 

By Clara E. Laughlin and Eleanora K. Mabblk 

Hostess and guest 274-289 

CHAPTER XIV 

SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS AND EXERCISES 
By Mrs. John Foster Kirk, Jr. 

A literary drill — Geographical exhibit — Arithmetic exhibit — 
Living spelling bee — ^The county fair — Handicraft ex- 
hibit — April 19th — Arbor Day — Athletic contest — May 
Day — Flower hunt — Memorial Day — Flag Day — Com- 
mencement banquets — Skull and crossbone supper — 
Mock commencement 290-304 

CHAPTER XV 

CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS, ETC. 
By Priscilla Leonard 

Calls, cards, invitations, etc 305-321 



LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS 



FACING 
PAGE 



Chafing-Dish Supper Frontispiece 

Formal Dinner Table 28 

Luncheon Table Ready for the Guests .... 40 

A Doll's Party 74 

A Soap-Bubble Party 88 

Pillow-Climbing Game .116 

Church Decorated for a Wedding . . . . .152 

Silver- Wedding Breakfast Service 166 

Cotillon Favors 170 

Cozy Corner in a Barn 194 

Coffee and Sandwich Buffet at Church Fair . . . 202 

Bazaar Tables 216 

Fourth-of-July Banquet Hall .230 

Tables Set for Federated Club Dinner . . . .250 

Country Club: in the Grill Room 270 

"Chamber of Peace" 278 

xiii 



THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 



CHAPTER I 

INFORMAL ENTERTAINING IN THE HOME 

INFORMAL entertainment is, as everyone knows 
or ought to know, a far greater compliment to 
guests than any formal entertainment, however 
splendid. Unfortunately, however, not everyone acts 
up to this knowledge. Many persons treat an invi- 
tation to partake of informal hospitality with a neg- 
ligence they would never dream of showing a formal 
invitation. And many who extend informal hospital- 
ity think so lightly of the matter that their entertain- 
ment, instead of being a delight, becomes a bore. 

The prime instinct of the hospitable soul is to do 
honor to its guest. This honor may be expressed in 
many ways, but expressed in some way it must be, 
or the hospitality better be left unoffered. 

You do honor to anyone when you ask him to break 
bread with you beneath your rooftree, particularly if 
you ask him to join your family circle about the table. 
But merely to " move along and make room for an- 
other " is not so flattering as some people seem to 

1 



2 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

think it. ** What's good enough for me and my 
folks is good enough for anyone " is the proud boast 
of some who call themselves hospitable. In a way, 
this is true enough in spirit; your friend comes, not 
to gorge himself on fine fare, but to partake with 
you of what you have. But, on the other hand, the 
tendency of joy is always to *' celebrate." If your 
heart is glad because of the presence of your friend, 
you will inevitably incline to make his presence the 
occasion of some little celebration. It may be only 
a handful of his favorite posies on the table; it may 
be the serving of his favorite dessert or salad, which 
he says he never gets elsewhere as good as you serve 
it; it may be shown forth in the spotless linen and 
" best " china, which say to him, as he sits down 
to them, *' Your coming makes this a gala day for 
us! " This is the kind of hospitality that warms 
hearts and sweetens life, and there can never be too 
much of it. 

INFORMAL DINNERS 

When a few friends are asked to dine informally 
with you and your family, be as careful to avoid all 
appearance of strain and effort as you are to avoid 
appearance of carelessness and lack of thought. 
Select for your viands a number and variety which 
represent a happy medium between an ordinary fam- 
ily meal and an extraordinary, formal dinner. If 
you know the tastes of your friends, pay them the 
compliment of remembrance. But do not undertake 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING S 

anything in the way of a menu that will tax too 
heavily the household machinery. Do not try new 
dishes on guests, and do not, if you have but one 
maid and she must wait at table, attempt anything 
which requires her constant presence in the kitchen 
when she should be in the dining room. A clever 
woman I know always serves her fish course creamed, 
in shells, and browned in the oven. She can prepare 
this long before dinner time, and it may be put into 
the oven to heat and left, while her maid is in the 
dining room passing soup, celery, etc. Once the 
shells of fish are on the table, the maid is free to 
remain in the kitchen for ten or more minutes, mak- 
ing her gravy for the roast, whipping to a cream her 
mashed potatoes, and so forth. The salad, at this 
woman's house, is always made on the table, and the 
dessert is, of course, something cold, which has, like 
the soup and fish, been prepared or supervised by 
the hostess before she dressed to receive her guests. 
She attends also to the setting of her own table, and 
people say the daintiness of its appearance is one 
of the chief charms of dining with her. Her linen 
is always immaculate and ironed to a satin beauty. 
Her centerpieces and doilies are, many of them, the 
work of her own hands or the Christmas and birth- 
day gifts of friends who know her delight in such 
things. Her china and glass are not expensive, but 
they represent a deal of careful " shopping " and 
picking up of really lovely pieces at small cost. Her 
silver is not elegant, but it is always as shining bright 



4 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

as if fresh from the silversmith's, and no glass ever 
goes on her table that is not rubbed clear as crystal 
should ever be, with a fine, soft glass towel. She 
never spends above a dollar on table decoration, and 
sometimes not a dime, but she gets effects far pret- 
tier than many women get for ten or twenty times 
the sum she spends. She has four plain glass candle- 
sticks of a kind that may be had in hundreds of 
shops the country over for thirty-five cents each, 
but they do not look " cheap " on her table because 
they are so clean and clear. Sometimes she uses 
inexpensive little colored shades, but quite as often 
she uses tall white candles unshaded. In summer 
her dinner table always looks cool, in winter it looks 
warmly cozy. In summer she uses flowers with deli- 
cate coloring, and if she shades her candles the shades 
are pale green; the ruddy glow from crimson shades 
she saves for chill winter evenings. With regard to 
flowers, she has learned the Japanese secret of 
beauty, and so she uses few, and those in season, and 
has many little devices for arranging them naturally 
and artistically. One of the best investments she has 
ever made was fifty cents expended for a Japanese 
flower-holder. It is of lead, bronzed. Many shapes 
are obtainable, but hers is in the shape of a frog 
some four inches long, with eight holes, punched 
through his body vertically. These holes are about 
a quarter of an inch in diameter and are scattered 
over his broad back. In a shallow green dish of some 
cheap Japanese pottery — ^the dish is about two inches 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 5 

deep by seven in diameter — this woman puts water 
to half its capacity. Then in goes Mr. Frog, and in 
his back she sticks, according to season, jonquils, 
narcissus, daffodils, tulips, field daisies and clover, 
iris, white hyacinth, lilies of the valley, or any one 
of a score of varieties which grow straight on fairly 
stout supporting stems. These holders can also be 
bought in glass, for use in glass bowls, and in com- 
mon unpainted lead. The stems must be set in the 
holes so tightly that each stalk will stand gracefully 
but not stiffly erect, and the flowers keep fresh as 
long as in a vase. The woman of whom I write has 
a centerpiece on which she has embroidered clover 
leaves and blossoms, and many times through a 
summer her table looks like a picture with this piece 
in the center of a snowy cloth, and on it the little 
green low dish, Mr. Frog, and a handful of purple 
clover blossoms, exquisitely arranged. Four un- 
shaded white candles complete a picture which for 
real loveliness many a millionaire's table groaning 
under its weight of costly candelabra and profuse 
decoration of orchids does not approach. Another 
decorative device of this same woman's is achieved 
by the use of her fern dish, which she keeps always 
fresh and pretty for her table, and a dozen or more 
blossoms with short stems (which are always cheap 
at any florist's) stuck into the earth among the green 
ferns and removed, of course, after the meal is over. 
I have seen this woman's table beautiful in mid- 
summer with her fern dish sprinkled with white 



6 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

daisies and her candles shaded by pale green crepe- 
paper shades. There are a thousand and one ways in 
which a dainty woman can beautify her table at next 
to no expense. But it takes time and thought. A 
woman of wealth may hire caterer and florist to 
serve her guests, but she cannot give her entertain- 
ment the little, intimate, personal air which is hos- 
pitality, unless she lends herself to the effort. A 
woman of modest means can really give her guests 
more of the exquisite essence of hospitality than the 
wealthy woman can, and the informal little dinner 
is par excellence the sweet, dainty housekeeper's op- 
portunity. A man who can bring a friend home to 
a three or four course dinner of simple fare per- 
fectly cooked and daintily served (a handful of 
seasonable flowers and a bit of candlelight lending 
an air of festivity to the occasion), will scarcely be 
found straying much from his " ain fireside." 
Women who have always feared to '^ undertake " a 
dinner ought to rouse themselves to a few essays in 
the pretty art, and be sure that time and thought 
spent in perfecting themselves therein could hardly 
be better invested. 

HIGH TEA 

If a hostess wishes to ask twelve or sixteen or 
twenty friends to a meal with her, and does not feel 
able to undertake a dinner for that many, a high tea 
is a charming way of getting around the difficulty. 
A high tea is really a substantial supper quite as 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 7 

** filling " as a dinner and much easier to serve. On 
a cold winter night it may not be to everyone an 
acceptable substitute for a dinner, unless it occur 
on Sunday after a hearty midday meal, or on a holi- 
day — New Year's, for instance. But on a hot sum- 
mer night many people will find a high tea a de- 
lightful substitute for a heavy dinner, and in those 
fortunate communities where midday dinner is the 
rule it will always be in order. A pretty, social way 
to serve it is on small tables. Let us suppose you 
have asked guests enough to make your whole num- 
ber, including yourself and family, sixteen or twenty. 
You have tried to keep the number of each sex the 
same, as at a dinner. While your guests are chat- 
ting in parlor or sitting room and dining room, ask 
one of the gentlemen most at home in your house, 
or one of the members of your own family, to help 
you carry in four or five small tables — card tables 
or folding sewing tables, or any others you may own 
or can borrow. When these have been placed ac- 
cording to your directions, cover each with a snowy 
little tea cloth or pretty centerpiece, or, failing these, 
with a large dinner napkin. Then lay at each place 
— laying four places for each table — a knife, fork 
(or two forks), spoon or spoons, as your menu will 
demand, napkin, and water tumbler; also, if you 
have them, a bread-and-butter plate and a butter 
spreader. If you do not own these latter, serve a 
neat little ball or square of butter in an individual 
butter dish at each place. Provide each table with 



8 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

a little dish of salted nuts and another dish in which 
are olives, radishes, celery, according to season, all 
strewn with fine-chopped ice to keep them cool and 
crisp. Also provide salt for each table, and if you 
can muster enough cream and sugar sets, have one 
on each table; otherwise, pass cream and sugar from 
guest to guest on a tray immediately following the 
tray from which coffee, tea, or chocolate is served. 
Either seat your guests as you think they will like — 
always a delicate task, calling for much thought — or 
allow them to form their own quartettes. When all 
are seated, begin serving. A nice menu for a warm 
night is : For a first course, cold fruit, either ice-cold 
canteloupe, or chilled pineapple, or a compote of cold 
fruits — ^sliced pineapple, orange, desiccated grape 
fruit, stoned cherries, etc., sweetened and thoroughly 
chilled and served in glasses. Then have either a 
mold of jellied chicken or veal, or cold sliced ham, 
tongue, or veal loaf, with Saratoga potatoes. Serve 
hot rolls or biscuit, with jelly or jam, with this course, 
passing frequently. A tomato and mayonnaise salad 
is nice with this kind of a supper, or a salad of cold 
asparagus with French dressing; serve toasted 
crackers and cheese with the salad. For dessert, 
have ice cream, fruit ice, fruit jelly, or fresh fruit, 
and cake. Coffee may be served with the main 
course, or with the dessert. Chocolate should be pro- 
vided as an alternative for those who cannot drink 
coffee at night. For a cold night, have first some kind 
of cream soup or bouillon served in cups ; then a hot 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 9 

oyster or chicken pattie or steaming hot escalloped 
oysters passed in the big pan in which they are 
cooked, or creamed fish smoking hot from the oven 
in little shells or individual baking dishes. A salad 
of apple and celery, with a few nut meats, the whole 
dressed with a creamy mayonnaise or boiled dress- 
ing, will be nice with any of the above ; and a change 
from ice cream, which everyone will appreciate, may 
be had in delicious, old-fashioned custard baked in 
cups and served cold and velvety ; or make an orange 
jelly, cutting the oranges carefully into horizontal 
halves before extracting the juice. Save the shells 
thus made, and fill each with a heaped-up mound 
of the sparkling jelly topped with a spoonful of 
whipped cream. If a hostess likes, her guests may 
change places with each course, as at a card party, 
or only the men may ' ' progress. ' ' A supper of this 
sort is really very little trouble and little expense, 
and is capable of being made one of the most charm- 
ing entertainments imaginable. 

A CHAFING-DISH SUPPER 

A chafing-dish supper may consist of a single ap- 
petizing concoction made by a hostess for half a 
dozen friends after theater, concert, or lecture, or 
after they have spent a couple of hours playing 
cards ; or it may be a fascinating substitute for either 
an informal dinner or high tea. For the latter, ask 
eight or ten persons for a chafing-dish supper at, 



10 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

say, seven o'clock. Ask each lady to bring her own 
chafing dish, or arrange to borrow extra ones, so that 
there shall be one for each lady, or one for each 
couple. Sometimes a man has a fancy for this kind 
of cooking, and a decided talent for it, in which case 
he is always delighted with an opportunity to show 
his accomplishment. Make your me^iu out very care- 
fully long beforehand, and get everything ready, as 
far as possible, in advance of the guests' arrival. 
Stretch your dining table to an ample length, and 
set it with centerpiece and doilies (no cloth), and 
with the necessaries for each place (as for a high 
tea). In front of each chafing dish have every in- 
gredient for the thing that is to be cooked therein; 
and with regard to the dishes themselves, have the 
alcohol lamps filled and the hot-water pans half filled 
with boiling water. If the night be cold and the 
guests' appetites sharp, it will be well to serve a 
hot clear soup in cups, which may be eaten while the 
various concoctions are under way. In one chafing 
dish cook salmon^ whitefish, or even common salted 
codfish, lobster, oysters, crabmeat, or finnan haddie 
— whatever is available and liked — in a cream sauce, 
seasoned to taste. When it is ready, have hot plates 
brought in, and a plate of hot toast cut in triangles 
or rounds. Serve the hot fish on the toast, and with 
it sandwiches of fresh Boston brown bread, buttered 
and cut in dainty shapes; also olives, celery, etc. 
Meanwhile, in another dish another cook has been 
preparing sweetbreads with button mushrooms or 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 11 

asparagus tips, or creamed chicken, or a curry, or 
some enormously appetizing stew of veal warmed up 
in a brown gravy seasoned to the Queen 's taste. And 
the other dishes have French peas heated smoking 
hot, with butter and seasoning, potatoes creamed or 
cooked without the water pan a la Lyonnaise, with a 
taste of onion. Serve coffee with this course and 
hot bread of some kind. For a salad, have something 
not too rich — perhaps a lettuce salad with a highly 
seasoned French dressing made on the table after 
the chafing dishes have been removed. Crackers and 
cheese should be passed with the salad course; also 
salted nuts, if they have not been on the table all 
the time. Dessert should be cold, and not too hearty ; 
for this supper, if properly cooked and served, is 
so appetizing that most people will partake more 
heartily of it than of the regulation dinner, and 
anjrthing so heavy as shortcake, dumplings, or rich 
pudding is little likely to be acceptable. An orange 
ice served in a sherbet glass, and with a bit of fresh 
homemade sponge cake or sunshine cake, is sure to be 
far better appreciated. 

For a little late-in-the-evening lunch helped out 
with the chafing dish, select one appetizing thing 
likely to be acceptable to all — oysters or chicken or 
finnan haddie is a far safer choice, usually, than 
Welsh rarebit or lobster a la Newhurgh. Do not at- 
tempt to serve more than eight from a single chafing 
dish, and of course you will never try a new recipe 
on your guests, but will offer them only your surest 



12 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

success. A salad may or may not be served after 
the chafing-dish course at one of these late suppers; 
but if it is, it should be made on the table and par- 
take of the same informal nature as the chafing-dish 
cookery. Always use the chafing dish on a bare 
table, and have it set on a metal tray. Dainty 
decorations are not so much in keeping with a sup- 
per of this kind as are odd effects. A centerpiece of 
lilies of the valley would look ridiculously incon- 
gruous on a table set for the preparation of a Welsh 
rarebit. Indeed, flowers are scarcely in place at all, 
but candles are, and any little surprise that occurs 
to the hostess as appropriate. For instance, a girl 
gives a little supper of this sort to half a dozen 
friends with whom she has played tennis or golf a 
great deal, or with whom she has been camping or 
boating or fishing; one of the young men may own 
a catboat on which he has frequently taken the other 
members of the little " crowd " for delightful sails 
on lake or river; in memory of this, the clever girl 
sets the center of her table with a mirror (a round 
table mirror, if she has one, any available mirror, if 
she has not) ; she conceals the edges of it under a 
border of green ferns or leaves, and in the miniature 
lake thus presented she sets a tiny cat-rigged boat 
bought at a toy store for ten or fifteen cents and 
whittled flat on the bottom so it will stand steady. 
Or she cuts a rectangular piece of green felt or 
cotton flannel and marks off a tiny tennis court on 
it, contriving a net out of anything available. The 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 13 

care expended on a bit of a surprise like this will go 
far to make a simple entertainment memorable. 

A STAG DINNER 

A man usually appreciates this kind of a celebra- 
tion arranged for him by his wife or mother on his 
birthday; and on other occasions, when he desires an 
opportunity to talk at length with men friends about 
the improvement of the golf links, or the manage- 
ment of the merchants' street fair, or the finances 
of the church, or the building of a new clubhouse, 
he is pleased to have the talk take place around his 
own dining table, over an appetizing dinner. On 
such an occasion the hostess may receive the guests 
in the parlor, and retire when dinner is ready to 
serve, or may preside at the table and retire when the 
time arrives for coffee and cigars. She will be 
thoughtful to provide the kind of a dinner most men 
like, venturing on no '* f angle-dangles, " and remem- 
bering that men usually care little for sweets and a 
great deal for the substantials. She will decorate her 
table attractively in some warm color — most men 
admit they '' like any color so's it's red " — and will 
not bother the diners with more accessories than they 
absolutely need, knowing that men are nearly always 
impatient of knick-knacks, especially on a table 
where, to the masculine mind, they interfere with the 
important business of dining. 



14 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

OYSTER ROAST 

An oyster roast is a pleasant informal affair, if a 
barrel of oysters, just from the salt water, can be 
easily procured. Set the table with knives, forks, 
plates, glasses, napkins, salt and pepper at each 
plate, and a clean wooden bucket at the side of each 
second chair. The oysters are roasted in the kitchen, 
and brought in on large trays, which are placed on 
the table. The guests take the oysters, shell and all, 
open them (or they can be opened outside just before 
bringing in), and eat them hot from the shell, with 
pepper and salt. The shells are dropped into the 
buckets when empty. Coffee or beer can be served, 
and bread and butter, and various sauces are on the 
table. Everything must be plain, hot, and clean, 
and there must be no delay in bringing in the oysters. 
It is a very simple affair, but usually a very success- 
ful one, if the oysters are fine. 

INFORMAL LUNCHEONS 

Informal luncheons are capable of an infinite num- 
ber of variations and surprises. Sometimes men are 
asked to them, but oftenest the guests are women 
only, and, in the case of the most successful lunch- 
eons, women who are pretty well acquainted with 
each other and at least fairly congenial. Luncheon, 
whether formal or informal, is now almost invariably 
served on a bare table, with doilies and centerpieces 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 15 

instead of a cloth. A few flowers appropriate to the 
season should always grace the table, and the menu 
should be " short and sweet " — ^that is to say, not 
many things, but everything very dainty. There are 
a great many dishes which are appropriate only to 
luncheon, and which the housewife whose men folk 
stand too conservatively (for her liking) by roast 
beef and roast lamb and mashed potatoes and apple 
pie, delights to serve to an appreciative company not 
afraid of novelties but frankly in hope of them. In 
serving dinners, it is always safest to stick as closely 
as one can to things that nearly everybody likes, 
without danger of monotony. But when entertaining 
women at luncheon it is always in order to present 
any novelty with which the hostess has thoroughly 
familiarized herself. Woman dearly love to learn a 
new salad, a new dessert, a new cream soup, or en- 
tree, and it is safe to say that one of the prime in- 
gredients of a successful little luncheon is a culinary 
surprise — if it is a good one! 

AFTERNOON TEA 

Afternoon tea is, happily, no longer associated in 
most people's minds with the great halls of English 
country mansions, with footmen and ^' equipages " 
of solid silver. Within the last few years a very great 
number of persons in this country have come to look 
upon afternoon tea as a matter of course, quite as 
much as luncheon, and in countless communities little 



16 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

and big this social afternoon hour is fast becoming 
one of the pleasantest of all occasions for informal 
intercourse. All that is necessary to make it is the 
will to enjoy it, and a pot of tea; or, if the day be 
warm, a pitcher of lemonade, and a plate of sweet 
crackers, jumbles, cookies, or dainty sandwiches. 
When our mothers went a-calling on their lady 
friends, thirty years ago, they used to be served with 
slices of '' black fruit " and poundcake, from the tin 
cake box which was locked away from all danger of 
family depredations, and a dainty glass of goose- 
berry shrub or raspberry cordial or port wine, as the 
case might be. It was a pretty custom, which many 
were sorry to see pass. The afternoon-tea custom is 
as good, however, and in many respects better. The 
tea may be made for any guest who chances in be- 
tween the hours of four and six, or it may be a stated 
occasion, served every day at a certain hour which 
your friends know; they know, too, that they are 
more than welcome to join you for that " bite and 
sup " and the accompanying conversation. If you 
are so fortunate as to be able to set out a pretty, 
permanent tea table in your sitting room, and fur- 
nish it with teakettle (and spirit lamp), teapot, cups, 
sugar bowl, and other accessories, of course you ap- 
preciate the social attractiveness of such an adjunct 
to your living room, and the charming sociability of 
brewing your own tea while you talk with your 
friends. But if you have no tea table, do not dis- 
dain afternoon tea; it may be made in the kitchen 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 17 

and brought in, steaming and fragrant, for imme- 
diate service in your ordinary teacups. But, alas! 
few women know how to make a good cup of tea; 
too many think it so simple a thing that it is not 
worth effort. On the contrary, a good cup of tea, 
the cost of which is infinitesimal, will bring many a 
desirable somebody to your door at teatime. Fill 
your teapot (which should be china) with boiling 
water and let it stand until the pot has become red- 
hot, or as hot as boiling water can make it. Then 
pour off all the water, put in your tea, and quickly 
cover with fresh water which has just reached the 
boil; it must be boiling, and it must not have boiled 
long. Keep the teapot where it will be warm, but 
where no further boiling can happen (in a china pot, 
of course, this cannot go wrong), until the infusion 
has been three or four minutes a-brewing. Then 
serve immediately, with sugar, if desired, and thin 
slices of lemon, or, if preferred, with cream. A very 
scant teaspoonful of tea is sufficient for each person 
or for each cup of boiling water; this makes a good, 
strong infusion. The Russians make tea by making 
a very strong infusion, a sort of triple extract of 
tea, and putting a little in each cup, adding boiling 
water as desired. Good tea costs good money, but it 
goes a long way. Oolong suitable for a fragrant brew 
cannot be had much under a dollar a pound, but a 
quarter of a pound lasts a long time; few things are 
so cheap or so delightful. 



18 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

KAFFEE KLATSCH 

For a change from afternoon tea, or for those who 
do not care for tea, a Kaffee Klatsch is a pleasant 
mid-afternoon event, coffee and coffee cake being 
served, varied sometimes by a cafe frappe in tall 
glasses, or a mold of coffee jelly with whipped cream. 

NEIGHBORHOOD CARD PARTY 

The neighborhood card party is very popular now- 
adays. In the afternoon, when ladies only are in- 
vited, the refreshments are usually very simple, and 
served on the card tables, an embroidered or hem- 
stitched white cloth being laid on each one. Ices and 
cake, or a variety of sandwiches and tea, coffee, or 
chocolate, are a sufficient menu. In the evening, if 
gentlemen are of the party, supper is usually served 
in the dining room, and is somewhat more substan- 
tial, salad, croquettes, or oysters being in order. A 
card club, meeting at the houses of different mem- 
bers in turn, is apt to make rules of its own as to 
the supper, so that it shall not become too elaborate. 
Usually, in all card clubs, when members are not able 
to be present, the hostess has the right to invite any- 
one she chooses to fill the vacancies. Some card clubs 
allow the hostess to invite guests for an extra table. 
Care should be taken that the cards are fresh and 
clean, and pencils and score cards ready at each table ; 
and a dish of honhons on each is a dainty accessory, 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 19 

appreciated by the feminine players. A chafing-dish 
supper goes well with a small evening card party, 
but one chafing dish cannot supply more than eight 
guests, so it is always well to make this calculation. 
The sandwiches for a card party can now be cut 
into appropriate shapes, thanks to the new cake 
cutters, in diardond, heart, spade, and club forms. 
Cakes cut in these forms and iced pink for the dia- 
monds and hearts, and chocolate for the clubs and 
spades, are just the thing with the ices. A card club 
usually has no prizes. An individual card party 
often has prizes, but they should be simple — a box 
of candy, a bunch of roses, etc. If prizes are to be 
played for, it is necessary for the hostess, or some 
one deputed by her, to go around the tables, in the 
progressive games, with stars to gum upon the score 
cards of those who progress; and these score cards 
should have the name of the player written upon 
them for identification when collected after the game 
is over. Those with tie scores draw for progression, 
and for the prizes in the end, if necessary. When 
giving a card party to those not very familiar with 
cards, seven-handed euchre is by far the easiest game 
and the most fun for all the players. Card games 
where only four play at one table, of course, limit 
one's invitations a great deal, compared with those 
where seven or eight, or more, can play at each table. 
In any game which is not progressive, it is wise for 
the hostess to put people of about the same skill at 
the same table. Nothing gives a good card player a 



20 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

more stupid afternoon or evening than an ignorant 
partner, and one poor player at a table with three 
good ones is bound to be profoundly uncomfortable, 
unless a remarkable run of luck conceals the de- 
ficiency. Cards, to some players nowadays, are a 
very serious matter, even when no prizes are played 
for, and a suitable choice of partners is therefore 
necessary. 

SEWING CIRCLE 

The old-fashioned sewing circle still holds its own 
in many towns. It may commence at any hour in the 
afternoon, but the pleasantest form, perhaps, is that 
where the sewing commences about five, supper is 
served at half-past seven, and a social time follows 
until nine or ten. Those who do not sew must be 
fined, the amount of the fine varying with the needs 
of those for whose benefit the sewing circle is work- 
ing. Some sewing-circle suppers — as in Boston, the 
original home of the idea — are elaborate nowadays, 
with varied courses and formal serving. But a plain, 
bountiful hot supper is the original plan, served 
rather informally. A sewing circle may be held in 
the early afternoon, with sandwiches and tea as re- 
freshment at five, and the members not staying to 
supper at all. Or a luncheon may begin it, and the 
sewing fill the afternoon. The most delightful sew- 
ing circles are those formed by the girls who gradu- 
ate from a certain school, or live in a certain 
neighborhood, and who form a circle which is kept 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 21 

up year after year to a certain number, usually about 
sixteen or twenty, new members being elected for 
those who move away or die. Meeting once a fort- 
night, they form a strong social bond and become 
recognized powers. In Boston, some sewing circles 
have been meeting for thirty or forty years, and to 
be invited into them is rightly considered a very high 
honor. Members are allowed to bring guests stay- 
ing in their houses, but no outsiders are admitted 
in some sewing circles. In others, the hostess can 
invite as she pleases. 

INFORMAL ENTERTAINMENTS 

For informal home entertainments in the evening, 
all kinds of " contests " are great fun. Hearts of 
red cardboard or motto sugar-candy hearts, quota- 
tions without the name of the author, peanuts 
wrapped in different colors of tissue paper, can each 
be hidden throughout the rooms, and a " heart 
hunt, " * ' peanut hunt, " or " quotation contest ' ' 
be started. The one who finds the most hearts, the 
most blue-wrapped peanuts, the most quotations 
which he or she can identify, wins the prize. The 
telegram game is first-rate. Ten letters are chosen 
by the guests at random, and these ten letters are 
given out as the initials of a ten-word telegram to be 
written by each guest. Sometimes a subject is given, 
which makes it all the harder and funnier. 

A " word hunt " is somewhat intricate. Each 



n THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

guest draws a card, on which is written a number 
and ** Your word has six letters," or eight or ten, 
as the case may be. All over the rooms are hidden 
the letters, written on some fancy form of card or 
paper. On Saint Patrick's Day they can be written 
on tiny shamrocks ; on Washington 's Birthday on red 
paper hatchets; on Fourth of July on little flags, 
and so on. With each letter is the number of its 
word. The first one to find all the letters belonging 
to his or her number, and make the right word from 
them, wins a prize. 

A Dickens, Kipling, Longfellow, or Scott evening 
has great possibilities. The guests may be requested 
to come dressed to represent some character, or using 
some characteristic speech or action to show it forth. 
The Village Blacksmith might wield an imaginary 
hammer, and Cap'n Cuttle repeat some of his aphor- 
isms, for instance. The game of Authors, or a 
Dickens game, may be played, or selections from the 
author chosen may be read or recited. 

A Book Party, where each comes as a book written 
by the chosen author, and the one guessing nearest 
the entire list of guests wins the prize, is always 
popular. A new form of it may be the Twentieth 
Century Book Party, in which no book must be repre- 
sented that has not been written since 1900. 

A Shakespeare Conundrum Party requires a 
clever person to write the conundrums, or hunt them 
up, as witness this sample: *' If checks could speak, 
what character in ' Julius Caesar ' would they name? 



INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 23 

Cassius. " Each person is given three minutes to 
answer in writing the coniindrum on his or her card, 
and must then pass it along to the next. The lists of 
answers (each guest has a sheet of paper and a pen- 
cil to write them on) are collected and the prize given 
at the end. 

A Japanese, Klondyke, Italian, Scotch, Irish, or 
German evening should have a supper to correspond. 
National airs sung or played, the rooms decorated to 
match, and the host and hostess and guests costumed, 
if possible, make a pretty affair. A Klondyke pile, 
of cotton, to look like snow, with a tiny shovel for 
each guest to dig out a favor of some comic kind, 
is amusing. 

A Harvest Party, to which each guest is invited to 
come as a fruit or vegetable, offers opportunities for 
all sorts of fun. 

Then there is the Brown Party, where all the in- 
vitations are written on brown paper, the host and 
hostess receive in brown, and the prizes for the games 
or at the card tables are all brown, while the re- 
freshments are coffee, cocoa, doughnuts, ginger cake, 
a variety of brown bread, sandwiches, chocolate cake 
and ice cream, and chocolate and molasses candy. 

The Witch Party, or Superstition Party, can be 
made very thrilling indeed. The rooms are decorated 
with four-leaved clovers, wishbones, the number 
thirteen, black cardboard cats, broomsticks, etc. The 
girls can wear black dominoes, high-crowned hats and 
masks, if they wish to have a costume. One game 



24 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

is to have each person write on a slip of paper his 
or her favorite superstition, and then let the rest 
guess who the writer is, in spite of the mask. An- 
other game is to sit round the fire, or round a caldron 
hung from a tripod in the middle of the floor, and 
each player casts in a fagot or an emblem of su- 
perstition — a bit of broken looking-glass, a wishbone, 
etc. — and must tell a ghost or witch story, or sing a 
song, or recite something appropriate. The Witch 
Scene from Macbeth, of course, should be recited by 
somebody. Afterward, all unmask and dance. A 
fortune-teller, or gypsy, or palmist, fits very well into 
a party of this kind. 

A Hat Party or Thimble Party is always produc- 
tive of much merriment. The ladies each bring an 
apron to be hemmed or a hat to be trimmed, and the 
men are given thimbles, needles, thread, and hat or 
apron, and set to work. It is best to take old hats 
and very preposterous trimming, the effects of the 
poor trimmers evoking shouts of derisive laughter. 
A prize goes for the best-looking hat and for the 
worst. At supper each lady wears the hat trimmed 
by her partner. 



CHAPTER II 

FORMAL ENTERTAINING IN THE HOME 

FORMAL DINNERS AND LUNCHEONS 

AFOR]\IAL dinner is one of the most formidable 
of undertakings, and should never, it seems 
safe to say, be essayed by a woman with 
small resources and semiefficient help. 

The main differences between a formal dinner and 
the prettiest sort of an informal dinner would be: 
First, in the nature of the invitations, which, for a 
formal dinner, are sent out two weeks ahead. This 
is done because the wise hostess knows that the suc- 
cess of her dinner depends very largely on the con- 
geniality of the people she gathers around her board, 
and so she makes her best selection, and by putting 
in an early request for the time of those persons she 
desires to get together, she hopes to forestall other 
engagements on their part. A well-bred person, man 
or woman, receiving an invitation to a formal din- 
ner, always replies immediately, by return mail if 
possible. Second, persons asked to a formal dinner 
will be expected to wear formal dinner dress. What 
this is, depends on the community and on the social 
regulations observed by the hostess. In any case or 

25 



26 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

place, it means evening dress for men. For women 
it may mean decollete gowns, or pretty, dainty 
dresses with transparent yokes and elbow sleeves, but 
it certainly means a whole gown of some sort, and 
not a skirt and blouse combination. If a woman 
asks you to a formal dinner and goes to the trouble 
and expense of decorating her house and table and 
arranging dainty lights and other accompaniments of 
a festive scene, it is a positive insult to her to appear 
at her function in a street gown or some convenient 
but unlovely combination of dark skirt and light 
waist. If you do not know what she considers proper 
dinner costume, you must find out somehow, and 
conform to it, or send your regrets. A third point 
about a formal dinner is that it is nearly always so 
large that conversation at the table is seldom general, 
but broken into groups, and guests are under special 
obligation to be entertaining to their dinner part- 
ners, and to the gentleman or lady on the other side. 
So much for the differences from the guests ' point of 
view. From the hostess 's they are : A more elaborate 
menu, an absolute perfection of service, more lights, 
more flowers, more wines, and, usually, some care- 
fully planned entertainment for her guests when they 
have reassembled in the drawing-room. A blunder 
may be passed off at an informal dinner with a joke, 
which contributes much to the general merriment; 
but a blunder at a formal dinner is a fatality which 
the hostess must pretend not to realize, though her 
pretense never deceives anyone, and her guests know 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING 27 

that she is gnashing her teeth over her spoiled enter- 
tainment. For the least mistake does spoil a formal 
dinner, whereas a succession of mishaps may only- 
make memorably hilarious an informal one. It is 
safe to remind yourself, before attempting a formal 
dinner, that if you set a person down in a chair from 
which he cannot escape for two hours, you will either 
have to put on both sides of him other guests of 
superlative fascinations, so that he is but dimly 
aware what he is eating, or you will have to feed 
him so superlatively well that he is but dimly aware 
who his neighbors are. Either essay is a big one, and 
a happy medium between the two is a combination 
of skill, inspiration, and good fortune rarely found 
in one woman. 

If, however, you are bound upon a formal dinner 
and must do all the planning yourself, perhaps you 
will find something suggestive in the following: 

Do not ask more people than you can seat comfort- 
ably and serve expeditiously. Crowding and wait- 
ing may be endured at a reception, but at a dinner, 
never! Twenty inches is the very least space that 
should be allowed for each ** cover " or place. And 
one waitress can scarcely do perfect justice to more 
than eight persons. Having decided ** how many " 
you may have, put all your most earnest thought into 
the matter of *' whom." Unless you can avoid all 
curious mixtures, all suggestions of ** hodge-podge," 
abandon the dinner entirely. No one can remember 
you unpleasantly if you do not have a dinner at 



28 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

all, but several persons will surely remember you 
most unpleasantly if you summon them to a pro- 
longed boring from which no tact of their own can 
help them to " shuffle." Having invited according 
to your best wisdom — which must almost always, 
sad to say, be tempered with the necessity of com- 
promise : smart men will marry silly women and 
vice versa, and there are always ^' dead weights " 
who have to be asked for state or family or other 
politic reasons — you can hardly do better with your 
second-best wisdom than apply it to the arrangement 
of your guests at table. Plan to put one of the silly 
women next to a man who loves to conduct a con- 
tinual monologue, but be sure to put on the other side 
of him a woman of some tact and brains, for even 
a most complacent monologue artist has to have an 
occasional interjection expressive of eager interest, 
to keep him happy. Balance things up as much as 
possible, and give everyone some chance of entertain- 
ment with either one of his immediate neighbors. If 
the dinner be a large one, you would best have in the 
gentlemen's dressing room a tray with small en- 
velopes addressed to each male guest. The attendant 
presents this to each gentleman as he prepares to 
leave the room, and he selects the envelope bearing 
his name, in which is a card bearing the name of the 
lady he is to '' take in." If the dinner is a smaller 
affair, it will be sufficiently formal for the hostess 
to tell each gentleman, as he greets her, whom he is 
to have for partner. The host always takes in the 




FOEMAL DINNER TABLE. 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING 29 

chief lady guest and leads the way. The hostess 
comes last, with the chief gentleman guest. Orders 
of precedence are not strictly observed in this coun- 
try outside of Washington, but in general it is safe 
to let age and honors go before youth and beauty. 

About the dining room: One of the most impor- 
tant things to observe is the lighting. Men may for- 
give you if you set them down beneath a Welsbach 
glare, but no woman will. No one with good taste 
lights a room from chandeliers in these days, and 
least of all a dining room. An electric light, that 
hangs about eighteen inches above the table and is 
heavily and handsomely shaded, is very desirable, 
but in lieu of it a beautifully shaded lamp should be 
used, in addition to candle light. Green shades are 
pretty, but trying. Rose, orange, and crimson shed 
the softest, most becoming light. 

The table may be round, oval, square, or rectangu- 
lar; the shape matters less than most other things, 
although a too narrow table never '' sets " to advan- 
tage. The first requisite is a thick pad of felt or 
double-faced canton flannel, and over that must go 
the handsomest tablecloth the hostess owns, and it 
must be ironed to satin beauty, and wide and long 
enough to hang at least nine inches on every side. 
The costliest glass, silver, and porcelain that ever 
were set out will not make an attractive table if the 
damask on which they are laid is not immaculate, 
exquisite. Table linen should never be allowed to 
hang till dry, but taken from the line while quite 



30 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

wet, and ironed dry and glossy with plenty of 
** elbow-grease," and irons not too hot. In the 
center of the table spread your daintiest piece of 
embroidered or lace-edged linen; and whatever 
floral arrangement you have, have it low, so as not 
to obstruct anyone's view of those opposite. If a 
lamp is used, the standard of it may serve as a base 
about which to group flowers. Four candlesticks are 
plenty for a table seating twelve. A dinner table 
should never look the least bit '' cluttered," never 
suggest the *' show room " of a shop. Perfection, 
and not profusion, should be the end in view. In ad- 
dition to the flowers and candles, and the furnishings 
of the ** covers," there should be on the table a few 
pretty dishes — glass or silver, if possible — contain- 
ing salted nuts and other et ceteras. 

Small plain cards with the names written on them 
by the hostess indicate where each guest is to sit at 
table, and at each place are the following: The nap- 
kin comes on the extreme left, then the forks, in the 
order that they are to be used, then the plate itself, 
and lastly, on the right, the knives, with the soup 
spoon and oyster fork beyond them. The tumbler 
and glasses are on the upper right-hand side of the 
plate. No bread and butter or butter plates are used 
at a formal dinner. The dinner roll, breadstick, or 
piece of bread two by one and a half inches, is 
placed in the napkin, — slipped in between the folds, 
but not entirely out of sight. Bread is also handed 
once at least during the meal, in the same forms. 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING 31 

Saltcellars may be here and there on the table, or 
an individual saltcellar at each place. The forks 
and spoons should always be placed with the tines and 
open bowls upward. If the napkins are large, and 
there is not space for them beside the forks, they can 
be laid on the plates. 

The place plate should be on the table when the 
guests enter — the best ten-inch plates the hostess 
possesses. These remain in place until the fish or 
first hot course after the soup is served. Each course 
is served from the pantry, neatly arranged on in- 
dividual plates, which are placed on the place plates 
until after the soup or bouillon course. The waitress 
carries each plate into the dining room upon a tray 
in the left hand, takes it to the right side of each 
guest, and places it with the right hand upon the 
place plate. When the soup or bouillon course is 
removed, the place plate is taken, too, and after that 
the plates are placed directly upon the cloth before 
each guest by the waitress. The most fashionable 
method of serving, however, is to keep a plate al- 
ways in place before each guest until dessert. If 
this is done, no tray is used. The waitress removes 
the used plate from the right with her left hand, 
and then places the course plate or an empty plate 
from the right with her right hand. In either way 
of serving never more than one plate is removed 
by the waitress at a time, nor is one plate ever 
piled on the top of another. At a formal dinner, 
plenty of time is presupposed, and as many servants 



32 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

as can clear the table deftly and without noticeable 
delay. 

Guests should be served in rotation, beginning al- 
ternately at the right and left of the host and hostess 
and going in opposite directions for each successive 
course. The waitress, in pouring the wine, should 
serve it from the right, just after the serving of a 
course is completed. 

Some hostesses serve the courses not on individual 
plates, but from platter, dish, etc., artistically ar- 
ranged, the portions all ready to be taken with the 
aid of a serving spoon, or knife, or fork. This is sim- 
pler than the other method, and quite in good form. 
The perfection of serving is to have it done so quietly 
and neatly that conversation is never interrupted, 
and the guests do not actually notice how they are 
served. Coffee, in small cups, followed by cordials in 
tiny glasses, should either precede the finger bowls 
or else be served in the drawing-room after dinner 
to the ladies, while the men linger over cigars with 
the host at the table, having their coffee served there. 
The latter way is the more fashionable at present, but 
either is correct. 

Between a formal luncheon and a dinner there is 
not a very great difference. Usually the table is not 
lighted for luncheon, the daylight being available 
except on dark and stormy days. The bare table by 
preference is used instead of a tablecloth, but the 
rule is not invariable, since many a dining table is 
not handsome enough to exhibit. If bare, it needs 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING SS 

embroidered doilies under the plates and dishes, and 
a centerpiece. Bouillon is served instead of soup, in 
the two-handled bouillon cups. There are not so 
many vegetables on the menu, and no very substan- 
tial course. It is altogether a lighter affair than 
dinner, with no wine, or at most two kinds, Sauterne 
being the favorite at present. There is no ceremony 
or taking of partners in going out to luncheon; the 
hostess leads the way, and the guests follow as they 
please. As at a dinner, the coffee can be served either 
as a last course, from the pantry, or in the drawing- 
room after the luncheon. The proper dress for a 
formal luncheon for ladies is handsome street or 
afternoon attire, with a hat. Men seldom attend 
luncheons. If they do, afternoon dress is the rule 
for them. A stand-up luncheon, or one served at 
many small tables, follows the rules of a reception 
to a large extent. 

NEW YEAR'S DINNER 

A New Yearns dinner or luncheon can be made 
very pretty. The dates of the past and coming year 
in flowers or in green down the length of the table 
make a good decoration, and a dainty card calendar 
at each plate is an appropriate souvenir. A tiny 
candle burning at each plate as the guests come in is 
a quaint idea, and the person whose candle burns 
longest will have the best luck in the coming year. 
For the center of the table a New Year's cake with 



34 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

a thimble, a coin, and a ring in it, and with the date 
on it in icing — red on white — is an amusing device. 
It is cut for dessert, and as it is handed round, and 
each cuts a piece, the finder of the ring is to be 
wedded soon, the finder of the thimble to remain 
unmarried for that year, and the finder of the coin 
to grow rich, which results in some excitement and 
fun. Holly and red ribbons can be added to the 
decoration in any quantity. 

VALENTINE DINNER 

A Valentine dinner or luncheon, for Saint Valen- 
tine's Day, is, of course, all hearts, roses, and arrows. 
There is a cast of a plaster Cupid, standing erect, 
that makes a charming centerpiece, with roses heaped 
around his feet. Or, for the occasion, a heart-shaped 
table top of thin pine boards, screwed on a kitchen 
table, makes a unique dinner table, covered with 
shining damask, with a heart-shaped bank of roses 
or carnations in the middle, seven or eight candle- 
sticks with shades of the rose color arranged in a 
heart shape around it, and festoons of rose-colored 
hearts, strung on baby ribbon, hanging down round 
the table's edge. Tiny heart-shaped bonhon boxes at 
each plate are suitable souvenirs, or gilt arrows tied 
with ribbon, on the place cards. The salad can be 
sprinkled with tiny red hearts cut from peppers or 
beets, the fancy cakes can be heart-shaped, and the 
ices served in heart-shaped lace boxes or in turtle- 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING S5 

dove forms. China with roses on it is appropriate, if 
the hostess possesses any. 

WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY 

A dinner or luncheon for Washington's Birthday- 
offers many opportunities. Five four-inch ribbons, 
three red and two white, sewed together to represent 
the stripes of the flag and running lengthwise and 
across the table in the form of a cross, are the founda- 
tion of a striking decoration. A number of blue 
stars, cut from paper and sprinkled over the rest of 
the tablecloth, and a miniature Jerusalem cherry 
tree, with red, white, and blue crepe paper around 
the pot, with a toy hatchet leaning up against it, 
completes the effect. Old blue china should be used, 
if possible, and candied cherries should be a feature 
somewhere in the courses — in the grape fruit, for 
example — while each ice may have a spray of artifi- 
cial cherries ornamenting it. 

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY 

A Saint Patrick's Day dinner or luncheon may 
have place cards in shamrock shape, with the name 
in gold paint on the green, and the favors can be 
tiny pots of growing shamrocks. The centerpiece 
may be a bank of green ferns in the shape of a sham- 
rock, with Irish flags rising from it, and green rib- 
bons running to the pots at each plate. Roast pig 



86 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

could be one of the courses, and green soup (cream of 
asparagus or spinach), green vegetables, green icing 
on the cakes, and a creme de menthe sherbet or pis- 
tache ice cream would harmonize the menu with the 
occasion. Irish songs could be sung after the guests 
leave the table. 

APRIL FOOL'S DAY 

An April Fool luncheon has for a centerpiece a 
globe of goldfish (an allusion to the French " poisson 
d'Avril," the equivalent of our April Fool, meaning 
that fish are easily " caught ") and a tiny cap and 
bell at each plate for a souvenir. The menu is made 
up of " April Fools.'' First, large green peppers, 
on lettuce leaves, look like a salad, but when the top 
is lifted off an oyster cocktail is inside. Then baked 
potatoes, large and piled on a platter, are passed, 
and prove to be full of minced sweetbread and fresh 
mushrooms. Turnovers and deviled crabs turn out 
to be pieces of broiled or roasted chicken wrapped in 
pie crust, and the crab shells contain creamed po- 
tatoes dusted over with cheese and browned in the 
oven. Tomato salad is found to be raspberry ice, 
molded in tomato form, on leaves of paper lettuce. 
In each " tomato " lies a heaped spoonful of what 
appears to be mayonnaise, but is a soft custard. 
Pillboxes full of tiny candies, covered with cake bat- 
ter, baked and iced like little pink and white cakes, 
are the last deception, with chocolate peppermints 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING S7 

made of large button molds coated with chocolate. 
White peppermints of smaller size can be made in 
the same way with ordinary icing. 

EASTER LUNCHEON 

For Easter tables, eggs, rabbits, tiny chickens, but^ 
terflies, and spring flowers are ready to choose from. 
Butterflies made from crepe and tissue paper can be 
combined with the wild flowers or spring blossoms 
in lovely decorations, and could also be hand-painted 
on the place cards. Egg-shaped honhon boxes, or 
bunches of flowers, are appropriate Easter favors. 

FOURTH OF JULY 

The Fourth of July table for an informal dinner 
or luncheon is overflowingly patriotic. A tiny flag at 
every plate, a group of flags in the center, rising 
from a bank of red geraniums edged with white ones, 
and those again with bluets, hoiibons in firecracker or 
firework shapes, blocks of vanilla and raspberry ice 
sprinkled with candied violets — these are all re- 
minders of the day, and patriotic songs are also in 
order. 

ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT 

The announcement of an engagement is often made 
at a dinner or luncheon for intimate friends. The 
place cards can be heart-shaped, with the inter- 



38 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

twined initials of the fiancees as a decoration. A 
heart-shaped bank of pink or red carnations, with 
gilt arrows sticking here and there, makes a good 
centerpiece, and at each place a heart-shaped doily is 
used, beside which are a cluster of carnations tied 
with pink or red ribbon, one end of which runs to 
the center and is attached to an arrow. Each guest 
pulls out his or her arrow, upon which a fortune is 
written or a sentimental verse. The announcement 
can be made about the middle of the meal, when some 
one selected to do so proposes the health of the bride 
and groom elect in a little speech. Or, as soon as the 
guests are seated, a sham telegram may be brought 
in containing the announcement, and read aloud, or 
passed round the table. All the dishes possible 
should be heart-shaped, and all decorations should be 
red or pink. 

APPLE-BLOSSOM LUNCHEON 

An apple-blossom luncheon is charming in the 
spring, especially when the hostess lives out of town 
and invites city friends. The ices can be in the shape 
of apples, and apple and celery salad is suitable, of 
course. 

A daisy luncheon and a water-lily luncheon are 
both dainty affairs. A daisy ball can hang above 
the table, and festoons of daisies decorate it, with a 
daisy stuck through the handle of the glasses which 
hold the fruit soup for the first course. Pond lilies, 
set singly on their broad leaves around a mirror for 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING 39 

a centerpiece, and floating in each finger bowl, are 
especially handsome on a polished mahogany table, 
and take several degrees off the apparent tempera- 
ture of a hot summer day. 

FISHERMEN'S LUNCHEON 

A dinner for spring fishermen and their wives 
or their girl friends is unfailingly attractive. For a 
centerpiece, a mirror surrounded by green ferns bears 
a boat on its surface, or a bowl of goldfish. From 
this rises a sheaf of miniature fishing rods, with 
green ribbon lines ending in tiny fishing baskets at 
each plate, full of honhons. These are the souvenirs. 
All the decorations should be green and white and 
the dinner should be a fish dinner; salmon, shad, 
trout, or some other desirable delicacy being the main 
course. 

ROSE OR SWEET-PEA LUNCHEON 

A rose or sweet-pea luncheon or dinner, all in pink, 
is a very dainty informal affair. Place cards that 
are shaped and colored like rose petals bear the 
names of the guests, and tiny baskets of roses are 
the souvenirs. A centerpiece of maidenhair fern 
and roses, or the ferns scattered in graceful curves 
on the table and four slim vases of the roses at the 
corners of a lace centerpiece, makes a good decora- 
tion, with pink honhons in pretty dishes, and pink- 
iced cakes also on the table here and there. A fern 



40 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

ball over the table, with rose-pink ribbons to each 
plate, ending under pink honhonnicres for souvenirs, 
is a more elaborate decoration, but very pretty. 
Strawberries, lobster chops garnished with parsley 
and wee rosebuds, salad sprinkled with tiny hearts 
cut from pink beets, are all suitable for such a meal, 
with the other courses served on pink plates. 



VIOLET LUNCHEON 

A violet luncheon or dinner can be signalized by 
inch-wide violet ribbons crossing the table lengthwise 
and crosswise so as to form a sort of network in the 
middle, with a small bunch of violets tied at each 
intersection. A pot of violets in the middle with the 
pot covered by violet crepe paper, and four smaller 
ones at the corners, or one larger vase of violets and 
four smaller ones placed in the same way, finishes 
the decoration. Violet jelly in tumblers or glasses, 
with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream with candied 
violets sprinkled over it, violet-iced cakes, violet 
honbons, and a bunch of violets at each plate, carry 
out the idea. 

RAINBOW LUNCHEON 

A rainbow luncheon gives scope for individuality 
in hostess and guests. Seven guests can be asked, and 
each one is requested to come representing a certain 
color. The hostess wears white or black, as she pre- 




LUXCHEOX TABLE EEADY FOR THE GUESTS. 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING 41 

fers; ribbons of all colors are draped from the 
chandelier, each ribbon ending at the place of the 
guest dressed in its color, where the menu card has 
a rainbow bunch of baby ribbon tied on it, and seven 
courses indicated — '* red," '' orange," and so on. 
The " red " course may be strawberries, or red 
apples hollowed out and filled with grapefruit pulp 
and candied cherries. ^' Orange " can be jellied 
bouillon served in orange skins cut into fancy bas- 
kets. ^' Yellow " may be minced chicken in pastry 
cases with yellow sauce and potato croquettes very 
delicately browned. " Green " is the salad, of cu- 
cumbers and lettuce with French dressing, or of as- 
paragus or string beans. '^ Blue," " indigo," and 
*' violet " form the dessert course — violet ice cream, 
cakes iced in indigo shade, and coffee in blue cups, 
or little blue boxes filled with candy, or blue bon- 
bons. 

PROGRESSIVE DINNER 

The progressive dinner or luncheon is served at 
small tables, each decorated in a different color or 
way, and each guest takes along napkin, wineglass, 
and tumbler, in changing from one table to another. 
It is a good idea to have the host and hostess remain 
stationary, so that all in turn sit with them, or to have 
the guest or guests of honor, if there are any, remain 
always at one table, the rest changing. The guests 
progress after each course, and each table is num- 
bered. The hostess must arrange thoroughly before- 



42 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

hand the system on which the guests are to progress, 
and have little cards for each guest, or on each table, 
to direct the changes. For instance, on a card on 
table No. 1 may be written, " After the soup, pro- 
gress to table No. 2," and so on. The numbers of 
the tables, in vines or ferns, may form the center- 
pieces. 

BALLS 

No matter how large and formal a dance a hostess 
may give, it is never called a " ball " in the invita- 
tions. '' Dancing " or " Cotillon at ten " may be 
put in the lower left-hand corner of the invitation 
card. If the dance is given for a debutante, her card 
is generally inclosed, but this rule is not invariable. 
The rooms for dancing should be dazzlingly lighted, 
and great attention must be paid to ventilation. The 
decorations may be as gay and beautiful, and the 
cotillon favors as handsome, as one's purse allows. 
Everything in a ballroom should suggest light, 
gayety, and beauty. A fancy-dress ball is perhaps 
the most brilliant social function that exists. 

Nevertheless, a great many people have neither 
suitable rooms in their houses for a ball, nor is there 
a private hall of any elegance obtainable. If they 
wish to give a formal dance, they must do the best 
they can, without any particular luxury. The first 
requisite, as every dancer knows, is a good floor for 
the dancing. If this cannot be had at home, a hall 
must be engaged, and decorated in tasteful fashion. 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING 43 

In almost all our towns now there are clubs or hotels 
where a good ballroom can be secured, and where a 
caterer will serve the supper. 

The hostess receives at a formal dance, whether it 
be in her own house or not, and is usually assisted by 
several friends well known in society, who can relieve 
her somewhat during the hours that she otherwise 
has to stay at her place. A debutante stands beside 
her mother at a dance given by her parents, and 
sometimes has several girl friends receiving with her 
also for the first half hour. Her mother selects the 
first partner for her, and no man should dance more 
than once with the debutante on this occasion. She 
should shake hands with each person introduced, and 
is expected to dance every dance, standing at her 
place in the intervals to receive and greet the guests. 
Her girl friends, after the first half hour in the re- 
ceiving line, are free to dance without returning to 
receive any further. 

The host does not usually stand in line. His busi- 
ness is to see that the women all have partners, the 
chaperones are all taken in to supper, and that the 
men do not stay in the dressing rooms to smoke and 
talk, but do their duty as dancers. The hostess does 
not dance, if at all, until late in the evening, when the 
last guests have arrived and everything is going off 
well. She sees to it that people are introduced, shy 
young men provided with partners, and all the girls 
are having a good time. To this end, in inviting, she 
should see to it that the men outnumber the women 



44 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

by a good proportion, so that there shall be no wall- 
flowers, if possible. 

If the dance is given in her own house, and is not 
large, the hostess need not invite the mothers or 
chaperones of the girls, as she acts as chaperone. 
But at a larger dance, given in a semipublic place, 
it is necessary to invite the mother or the chaperone. 
A man escorting a woman to a ball should agree 
where to meet her when they both leave the dressing 
rooms. The best place is at the foot of the stairway, 
or near the ballroom door. They do not enter arm 
in arm, but the woman precedes the man and both 
greet the hostess. 

The etiquette at an assembly or public ball is the 
same as that of a private dance, except that a com- 
mittee of women fulfill the position and duties of 
the hostess. At some public balls the committee is 
composed of both men and women, and they wear 
badges indicating their position. It is necessary for 
each guest to greet some member of the committee 
on entering, but no leave need be taken of any of 
them. It is not necessary, even at a private dance, 
to take leave of the hostess, but it is often done, and 
is perfectly good form. 

Young men, at a private dance, should ask the 
daughters of the house to dance the first dances. At 
a cotillon, those who have not partners selected be- 
forehand are given partners by the hostess. 

When a public ball is given in honor of some 
special person, he should be met on his arrival, in- 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING 45 

troduced to the patronesses or women on the recep- 
tion committee, escorted to the seat prepared for him, 
looked after during the evening, escorted to his car- 
riage afterward, and generally treated as the guest 
of honor. 

At a public ball it is admissible to fee the dressing- 
room attendants, but never in a private house, or at 
a ball given by private parties in a hotel or club. 

A formal reception is held either in the afternoon 
from four to seven, or in the evening from eight to 
eleven. The hostess and those who receive with her 
wear no hats, but the women guests in the afternoon 
wear hats, and the men afternoon dress. In the 
evening, evening dress is worn by all. An invitation 
to a reception is formally engraved, and sent a fort- 
night or ten days ahead. It should be answered 
within a week. The hostess at a reception makes 
what introductions she thinks proper, but generally 
does not try to introduce all her guests. Formal 
afternoon teas and ** At Homes '' are on the same 
lines as receptions, but are far less elaborate. They 
require only engraved card invitations, and the re- 
freshments are simpler. The host seldom receives at 
either, whether men are invited or not. An invitation 
to an ** At Home '^ or afternoon tea requires no 
answer, unless the one invited cannot attend, in 
which case a card, set on the day of the affair, serves 
as a regret. In case there is a series of teas or ** At 
Homes," a card is only sent when the person invited 



46 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

cannot attend any of them, and the proper time to 
send it is on the day of the last one of the series. 

The formal afternoon tea is so easy a method of 
entertaining a large number that it is becoming more 
and more popular. It requires little expenditure for 
food, but much care as to detail. Flowers, a dainty 
tea equipage, a novel variety of ices, cakes, candies, 
etc., are points never to be neglected. The sandwich, 
in its present vogue and variety, is a feature of the 
afternoon tea. White, brown, and entire wheat 
bread are all used, and every kind of filling imagi- 
nable. Lettuce, nut, cucumber, egg, date, celery, 
cheese, oyster, lobster, banana, ginger and orange, 
jelly and marmalade, olives, sardines, and chicken, 
are all pressed into service. The sandwiches must 
be very small, very dainty, and always served on a 
doily in a pretty dish or plate. All sorts of quaint 
shapes can be cut with the modern cake cutters. 
Bouillon, Russian tea, iced-tea punch, coffee, and 
chocolate are all suitable. Two friends of the 
hostess usually serve the tea and ices at each end of 
the table in the dining room, or, at a very large af- 
fair, there can be others at a table in another room, 
besides serving coffee or bouillon, and ices and cakes. 
A number of young girls who help receive and wait 
upon the guests are a useful feature of a large after- 
noon tea. 

A debutante may be introduced by a ball, dinner, 
reception, afternoon tea, or ''At Home," the last 
being the least formal of all. At a dinner dance 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING 47 

given for a debutante, the hostess issues two sets of 
invitations: one for those invited to the dinner and 
the dance, and the other for those invited to the 
dance only. The ordinary dinner invitation, with 
'' Dancing at nine " added, is proper for the first 
set of invitations, and the ordinary '' At Home " 
card, with '* Dancing at nine," is correct form for 
the second. 

At any of these formal occasions — dinners, lunch- 
eons, receptions, etc. — music is sometimes used as an 
adjunct, but must be duly subordinated. A band, 
unless its music is indeed sweet and low, is not 
pleasant as an accompaniment to a brilliant dinner. 
When music is really to be listened to, the formal 
musical is the occasion on which to have it. The mu- 
sical can be either from four to six in the afternoon 
or at any time in the evening. The cards of in- 
vitation should be engraved, and have the word 
*' Music " in the lower left-hand corner. They re- 
quire a note of acceptance or regret in answer. 
Pretty evening dress — not ball dress necessarily — is 
required for an evening musical. In the afternoon, 
the same dress as at teas or receptions is worn. The 
music must be good and the performers well worth 
listening to, be they amateur or professional, or else 
the guests have a right to feel cheated. 

If professional singers or players are invited, their 
services ought to be paid for, unless they offer them 
free. It is not good form to invite a singer as a 
guest and then expect him to give his services. It 



48 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

is unwise, also, to invite people not really fond of 
music, as the whole evening will be a bore for them, 
or, by talking and laughing, they will spoil the music 
for the rest. The piano should be a first-rate instru- 
ment, and the rooms should be as free of draperies 
as possible. A polished floor and cane chairs are 
better than carpets and upholsteries, which deaden 
sound. The lighter music should be played first, the 
star performers following the less notable ones. The 
hostess receives at a musical, but as the guests must 
come on time, she is free to take her seat with the rest 
and listen to the music. The refreshments, if in the 
afternoon, can be those of the afternoon-tea order, 
and can be handed on trays. In the evening they 
are a little more elaborate. 

The large card party is a very popular modern 
form of entertainment. It takes a good deal of room 
to set out card tables for a number of people, and 
so rooms are often hired at a club or hotel for a 
progressive euchre party, or a game of hearts, or 
bridge. The latter is at present the fashionable 
game, and a bridge tournament is quite an intricate 
affair to manage. The hostess receives her guests 
at a card party, and has the tables arranged so that 
each guest can find his or her place. Usually a card, 
with the name written on it by the hostess, indicates 
each one^s place. Score cards, pencils, etc., are pro- 
vided for each table. Often a written list of the 
main rules of the game, or a printed summary, is 
placed where it can easily be consulted by the players. 



FORMAL ENTERTAINING 49 

A dish or two of bonbons on each table, in pretty 
silver or glass, is usually in evidence. At a bridge 
tournament the score is not kept by the individual 
players alone, but by two or more official score 
keepers, who come at the close of each round and 
collect the scores, keeping the tally as the game 
progresses. These score keepers umpire all disputed 
points, and must be tactful and familiar with the 
rules. Prizes are the order of the day at nearly all 
card parties. They should be, however, of no great 
value — merely dainty trifles, the winning of which 
causes no heartburnings. To have expensive prizes 
is a fatal mistake in good taste. To have none at all, 
or merely a badge for the winner, such as a rose or 
ribbon, is both good taste and good morals, in this 
day of excessive card-playing. One giver of charm- 
ing card parties never has any prizes, but at each 
card table a pretty pencil, tied with ribbon, is placed 
to keep the score, and the one who wins carries off 
the pencil as a badge of victory. When women exult 
over half a dozen pieces of bric-a-brac or em- 
broidery won as card prizes during the year, there 
is something repellent about it to fastidious minds. 



CHAPTER III 

OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 

THE most formal outdoor entertainment is, of 
course, the lawn fete, or garden party. For 
the average requirements, as has been well 
said, '' a green lawn, a few trees, a good prospect, a 
fine day, and something to eat," are enough; and 
even the good prospect and the few trees can be elimi- 
nated, if necessary, and a pleasant garden party be 
possible on what is left. 

An invitation to a large garden party should be 
given a fortnight beforehand, the invitations being 
in this form: 

MR. AND MRS. JAMES SMITH 

request the pleasure of 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Robinson's company on 

Thursday, May thirtieth 

AT THREE o'CLOCK. 

Garden Party. Belmont. 

If the guests are to come by train or trolley, a 
small card inclosed should give the train or ear 
schedule, both going and returning. 

A garden party, strictly to fulfill its name, should 
be held entirely in the open air. The refreshments 
50 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 51 

should be served outside, and the guests remain out- 
of-doors. But of course the day may turn out a 
rainy one, or chilly for the season, and therefore it 
is well always to arrange so that things may be in- 
doors if necessary. A large porch always is an ad- 
vantage in this way, for the supper can be installed 
there if the clouds are threatening. A tent is often 
used in which to serve the refreshments also. Rugs 
laid on the grass are much appreciated by elderly or 
rheumatic guests, and if they are spread in a nook 
protected by trees, and easy-chairs set comfortably 
in array, the kind forethought of the hostess will be 
blessed by those who profit and enjoy. 

The hostess receives on the lawn. She may wear 
a hat or not, as the weather and her tastes dictate. 
The guests, on arriving at the house door, are asked 
to go upstairs to leave their wraps, if they wish. 
After that, a servant or some young member of the 
family in attendance should show them to the part 
of the grounds where the hostess is receiving, unless 
it is plainly visible from the door. When they have 
been greeted by her, they are free to wander about, 
and seek the supper table whenever they are ready. 
It is the usual rule to have only cold refreshments. 
Salads, ham, tongue, sandwiches in variety, fine fruit, 
jellies, ices, cakes, candies, lemonade or punch, are 
in order. Hot tea and coffee can be added at will, 
of course. 

An orchestra is a great addition to a formal gar- 
den party. It is prettier for it to be out of sight, 



52 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

and not too close to the table, or to where the hostess 
stands. However, in the open air music is rarely too 
loud to interfere with conversation, and lends a 
charm to the natural beauties of the occasion. 

Sometimes the easiest way is to serve the supper 
in the house, and let the guests come in as they feel 
inclined. To serve the refreshments in the open air 
means more people serving, more trays, more glass 
and china, and so on. Indeed, it is most unwise for 
a hostess to use her handsome glass and china out- 
doors, for breakages are frequent. To hire it for the 
occasion, china, silver, glass, and all, is much better. 
But when supper is served in the house, all one's 
pretty things can be used to advantage. Out-of- 
doors, too, the service has to be of the most finished 
and careful kind. No piles of plates, glasses, etc., 
must be seen on the grass ; there must be a full sup- 
ply of napkins and spoons, with no chance of delay; 
all the dishes of food must be kept replenished 
before they have a chance to be empty; and the 
greatest care must be taken not to spill anything in 
carrying the trays about. For these reasons, unless 
trained servants are at command, or a first-class 
caterer can be employed, serving in the house is the 
wiser alternative. 

Some possessors of pretty country places prefer a 
series of ''At Homes " in June to a formal garden 
party. Card invitations are used for these as for 
an ordinary " At Home," and an inclosed smaller 
card gives trains. The hostess receives out-of-doors, 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 53 

but the refreshments are served in the house, and 
are like those at an elaborate afternoon tea — sand- 
wiches, ices, cakes, candies, tea, coffee, and lemonade 
or punch. These *' At Homes," of which there are 
generally three, have the great advantage over a 
single large garden party, that one of them, at least, 
is sure to fall upon a fine day, and usually two. 

It is always well to have some form of outdoor 
amusement at a garden party. Tennis, croquet, 
tether ball, quoits, may all be in evidence. But with 
a beautiful June day, all that most of the guests ask 
is to be out-of-doors and stroll about; and if the 
ladies have elaborate dresses and long skirts, they are 
rather handicapped for games, while short skirts are 
hardly the fashion for a formal affair. 

MAY-DAY PARTY 

The outdoor party, given on a holiday, is a far 
more informal and jolly affair. A May-Day party, 
for instance, is very charming. A Maypole, of 
course, is planted on the lawn. Traditional sports 
are tried, with prizes for each; the Maypole dance 
winds up the fun. A simple supper of sandwiches, 
salad, and ice cream can be served on the lawn or 
porch. 

FOURTH -OF-JULY PARTY 

A Fourth-of-July party can be made a most pic- 
turesque and patriotic affair. The flag should be 
everywhere — hung out from the house, draped over 



54 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

the porches, flying from a tall flagpole on the lawn. 
Tiny flags can be fastened on the standards of the 
tennis nets and on the croquet stakes. In addition to 
the other sports, the flag game may be played. Ten 
small flags are stuck into the ground in a row, ten 
more in another row a little ahead, and so on for 
ten rows. Ten players are then chosen, and at a given 
signal each starts to pluck up his or her row of 
flags, one at a time, runs across the lawn, and sticks 
each flag firmly in the ground at a designated sep- 
arate goal. The flags must be well stuck into the 
earth, and stand upright. If they fall over or break, 
they are not counted. The player who gets the 
whole ten flags first into the ground at his or her 
goal wins the round. After the several sets of players 
have finished, the winners then play a final round, 
and the victorious player receives a larger flag as a 
prize. The refreshments can be, to some extent, red, 
white, and blue — blocks of strawberry and vanilla 
ice cream, sprinkled with candied violets; cakes iced 
in the three colors and mingled together, and candies 
arranged in the same way. The table can have a wide 
blue ribbon down the center, and a bank of red 
geranium for a centerpiece. After supper, the Dec- 
laration of Independence can be read from the porch, 
patriotic songs sung to guitar or mandolin, and the 
fireworks are in order in the twilight. Some patri- 
otic owners of handsome country places give such a 
Fourth-of-July party to their friends every year, as 
an established custom. 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 55 

A CHINESE FEAST 

A Chinese feast is a good outdoor idea for mid- 
summer evenings. The porch and garden paths are 
hung with Chinese lanterns, and the lights covered 
with red and yellow shades. Chinese incense sticks 
add a perfume by their slow burning. Fan-tan, 
played at small tables, is an appropriate game. For 
refreshments, tea, of course, is served, with tiny rice 
cakes, nut sandwiches, chop-suey if possible, pre- 
served figs, candied ginger, and any Chinese nuts or 
confections that the stores furnish. A fan drill on 
the porch, by four or six girls in Chinese costume, is 
given, and each guest receives a little Chinese fan, 
with the date written on it, as a souvenir. Fire- 
crackers on the lawn are entirely appropriate, and 
other Chinese fireworks. 

FLOWER PARTY 

A flower party is suitable for garden or porch 
parties for young people. The hostess, in inviting 
each girl, should ask her to come dressed to repre- 
sent some flower, and to bring a verse or quotation 
describing the flower she personifies. Care must be 
taken to get all the flowers different. As each girl 
arrives, the verse she brings is put with the others 
on a tray, and each young man in turn draws from 
the tray, and sets out in search of the flower de- 
scribed. Supper is served at little tables for two, 



5^ THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

scattered about the grounds, or on the porches, each 
table decorated with a special flower. For those 
flowers not in season, paper or artificial flowers have 
to be used. A dance winds up the evening, or an 
impromptu concert on the porch, with banjo or man- 
dolin accompaniment, and chorus singing by the 
guests. 

LAWN HUNTS 

Lawn hunts are very pleasant affairs for children 's 
parties and young people, and can be of innumerable 
kinds. For a contest hunt, for example, dozens of 
pieces of white note paper, each with a question of 
some kind, are hidden all over the lawn, in the bushes, 
the hedges, the rustic seats, the flower borders — 
everywhere. Some of them have flower quotations 
on them, with a request for the author's name; some 
have a bit of bark or a leaf wrapped up in them, 
and a demand for its source and name ; some have the 
name of a tune, and request the finder to sing it, 
and so on. The one who finds the most papers, and 
answers them correctly, wins a prize. 

The peanut hunt, as its name implies, calls for any 
quantity of peanuts. Some are wrapped in blue 
tissue paper, some in pink, some in white, and then 
they are hidden all over the lawn, the blue ones al- 
ways in the hardest places. The hunter who finds 
the most blue-wrapped peanuts gets the prize. 

A heart hunt needs dozens of little red cardboard 
hearts, to be hidden about the lawn. A dozen slightly 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 57 

larger ones are cut irregularly in half, and the 
halves hidden not too near each other. Each player 
finding a plain heart counts one; any player finding 
the two halves of a larger heart, which fit together 
rightly, counts twenty, and the one counting highest 
wins a prize. 

With any of these hunts, a good addition is a 
gypsy tent on the lawn, where a girl clever in palm- 
istry tells fortunes after the hunt is over. The 
supper should be served on the lawn on little tables, 
and should be simple, as ice cream, cake and lemon- 
ade, or salad, sandwiches, and chocolate. 

EVENING LAWN RECEPTION 

An evening lawn reception is pretty, and is a 
pleasant way of celebrating summer wedding anni- 
versaries. The grounds are lighted by Japanese lan- 
terns, little electric lamps in colors, or fairy lamps. 
Benches or chairs are set under the trees in groups 
or pairs, and there is music either on the porch or in 
the grounds. The house may be open, if the music 
is on the porch, for the younger people to go in and 
dance, if they are so inclined. The supper is served 
out-of-doors or indoors, as convenient; and if out- 
doors, should be cold, consisting of sandwiches, 
salad, ices, strawberries, cake, lemonade, or coffee, or 
any selection of these, if all are not desired. 



58 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

A NAMING PARTY 

A naming party is very good fun where the 
grounds have a variety of plants, shrubs, and flowers. 
This is an afternoon affair, and the guests are formed 
into two sides, chosen alternately by the leaders, one 
of whom should be a man and the other a woman. A 
referee, with some knowledge of botany, is necessary. 
Each side then makes a circuit round the lawn, com- 
mencing at different points, and naming every shrub, 
tree, and flower in turn, making a written list as they 
go. After the circuits are made, both sides meet on 
the porch, and the lists are compared, the referee 
deciding which side is right in a case of disagree- 
ment, or whether both are wrong, even if they agree. 
The losing side wait upon the winners at the supper 
table, and must give them a picnic in the woods 
later. 

BARN PARTY 

It is a question whether a barn party comes under 
the head of outdoor entertainments; but certainly it 
cannot be called a house affair. A new barn is 
usually the scene of such entertainments. The stalls 
are trimmed with flowers, and tables sometimes set 
in them. The floor is scrubbed, and used for dan- 
cing, or old-fashioned games can be played. A dairy 
supper is appropriate, of creamed potatoes, chicken 
salad or creamed chicken, cottage cheese, cream 
puffs, ice cream, cream cake, milk and buttermilk, 
and with milking stools for the guests to sit on. 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 59 

PICNICS 

Leaving one's own lawn out of the question, there 
are endless ways of having a picnic somewhere else. 
A Maying Party is about the earliest possible of these, 
and it is well to wait until the middle of the month, 
unless the weather is unusually comfortable. The 
luncheon can be provided by the hostess or brought 
by the guests. Perhaps the best way is for the 
hostess to provide the essentials of it — cold chicken, 
sandwiches, cake, and coffee or lemonade, and ask 
each guest to bring a '' mystery " package. Some- 
thing a little unusual in the edible line, sufficient for 
two or three people, should be wrapped neatly in 
oiled paper, or packed in a tiny covered basket, and 
brought. The guessing, when lunch-time comes, as 
to what is in the packages, and the sampling of them 
with picnic appetites, adds greatly to the fun. A 
Maying party can tramp after the wild flowers, or 
go part or all of the way in wagons or carriages. The 
hostess may provide these, or the guests may prefer 
to drive themselves. 

FOURTH-OF-JULY PICNIC 

A Fourth-of-July picnic, of course, must be patri- 
otic. Those giving it should drive, or send out a 
little in advance of the others, and hang flags and 
bunting upon the trees and rocks of the place chosen. 
The table, even if spread only on the grass, should 



60 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

have little stacks of tiny flags standing at intervals 
on it, and a broad strip of red, white, and blue down 
the middle. If arranged with boards laid on boxes 
or barrels, it can be trimmed more elaborately. A 
large flag, hung against wall or rock, with a square 
of blue cloth basted over the stars, furnishes a chance 
for a game like the famous donkey party. Give each 
guest a white cotton cloth or paper star and a pin, 
blindfold him, turn him round twice, head him for 
the flag, and tell him to pin the star in place. Fire- 
works are in place, of course, and the reading of the 
Declaration and singing of '* America '' and " The 
Star-Spangled Banner. '^ A quartette of four, 
dressed in the colors of Cuba, Porto Rico, Hawaii, 
and the Philippines, might lead the singing with 
picturesque effect. 

SURPRISE PICNIC 

A surprise picnic is a good idea. The giver invites 
people for an afternoon drive, with no mention of 
supper, and either pretends to get lost or finds the 
place farther away on the road, apparently, than 
had been supposed. The wagons drive on, and every- 
body begins to feel hungry and far from home, when 
suddenly the leader turns in at some unexpected 
place, and there is a table, ready laid, with hot coffee, 
sandwiches, salad, cake, and other good things wait- 
ing, and cushions and rugs on the grass. The 
hostess must, of course, have a capable member of 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 61 

the household, or reliable servant, to have all this 
arranged and ready just on time, as its charm lies 
entirely in its impromptu perfection. 

TETE-A-TETE PICNIC 

A tete-a-tete picnic has great charms. As many 
baskets should be packed by the hostess as there are 
couples, and tied prettily with ribbons. Each girl 
is given one of these baskets, and each young man a 
pencil or a napkin tied with corresponding ribbons. 
By matching ribbons, the couples are sorted out at 
luncheon. In this way the partners can be carefully 
matched beforehand by the hostess, or left to chance, 
as she pleases. In each basket are two or three kinds 
of sandwiches, mayonnaise, cucumber, Qg^, nut, let- 
tuce, or chicken; a little jar of salad or some broiled 
chicken wrapped in waxed paper. Cake and ice 
cream and lemonade or coffee should be taken, for 
all, by the hostess. Mottoes, packed in the baskets, 
add to the fun. If it is desired to change partners 
after luncheon, or going home, make a heap on a 
rock of two flowers of the same kind, two bits of 
bark, two stones, and so on. Let each guest draw 
from the heap and pair off with the one holding the 
duplicate. 

PROGRESSIVE PICNIC 

A progressive picnic begins in the same way, but 
the lunch is packed in the baskets in courses, with 



62 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

waxed paper between each course. A slip of paper, 
with a description of another partner, or her name, 
directs each young man to his partner for the next 
course. The girls stay where they are, with the bas- 
kets; the young men change places in this way after 
each course. 



OPEN-AIR VAUDEVILLE PICNIC 

An open-air vaudeville picnic can be made a bril- 
liant success. Two requisites are necessary: a man- 
ager who can think up stage charades, light plays, 
monologues, etc., in the open air, and guests who will 
take the parts well. Monologues, violin and guitar 
music brought in, flower or fan drills, are all charm- 
ing in open-air vaudeville. Nothing long or am- 
bitious should be attempted — only bright trifles. 
The guests can regale themselves from the lunch 
baskets between the ' ' turns, ' ' or have luncheon be- 
fore or after the performance, as the hostess pleases. 

FISHING PARTY 

A fishing party is always popular. It can be com- 
bined with either a shore or a river picnic, and the 
fish that are caught can be cooked to perfection over 
an open-air fire. On the river, a quaint way of fish- 
ing is to prepare a number of jugs of medium size, 
tightly corked, with a heavy fishing line five or six 
feet long tied around the neck, and a baited hook 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 63 

at the end. As each jug is baited, it is thrown out 
into the water from a boat. Then the fishers, in the 
other boats, wait until the jugs begin to bob and 
run away. This is caused by the hooking of a fish, 
and the next thing to do is to follow the jugs and 
haul up the fish. Sometimes the chase is quite a long 
one, and sometimes the fish gets off the hook, so it 
is sufficiently exciting sport. When a fish is caught, 
the hook is rebaited and the jug thrown in again. 

CLAMBAKE • 

A clambake or chowder party is old-fashioned, but 
never out of fashion. The fire requires an expert to 
prepare, and the ingredients of bake or chowder are 
also prescribed by local rule, and differ in different 
places. Long Island and the New England coast 
hold the palm. An expert being secured, the hostess 
should convey her guests by boat, wagon, or trolley 
to the shore, and give them a sail if they enjoy it, or 
a chance to fish, before the bake or chowder is served. 
An afternoon clambake, with a moonlight sail or ride 
home, is especially enjoyable. 

A FARM PICNIC 

A farm picnic is a delight to city or suburban 
guests. A farm prettily situated, not too far from 
trolley or train, whose owner will hire it out, house, 
barns, and all, for the day, is the first requisite. The 



64 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

hostess then arranges things to suit herself — ham- 
mocks and swings under the trees, croquet, tennis, 
and even improvised golf links, the barn cleared up 
for a dining room, and the hayfield ready for a 
frolic. The guests arrive by wagon or train to find 
cool sitting rooms and porches, plenty of sport, a 
charming luncheon, and the privilege of tossing hay 
and riding on the load to the barn. The hostess 
provides the eatables, and the farmer and his family 
need not appear at all, except in the hayfield or the 
dishwashing. It may be that their presence, how- 
ever, will be a great addition to the picnic, and give 
the pleasantest of home touches to the day. 

CORN ROAST 

A corn roast is one of the most enjoyable of out- 
door entertainments for a summer twilight. A big 
fire of wood is built upon a hill or in some pictur- 
esque open spot. A lot of long, tough sticks are cut, 
like fishing rods, but sharpened to a point, and 
green, so that they will not catch fire easily. Num- 
berless fine ears of the juiciest corn are then shucked 
and piled at one side. When the guests arrive, the 
fire should be clear and deep, a bed of glowing 
embers. Each guest is given an ear of corn and 
shown how to impale it on the tough green stake; 
then he or she must roast it at the fire. When it 
is done, it will be black and sizzling, but delicious. 
Salt, pepper, and butter are provided on picnic 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 65 

plates, and the guests eat their corn in true al fresco 
style, and always want more. Apples are roasted as 
a dessert, and hot coffee can be served with sand- 
wiches. Then, as the fire dies down, the merry 
feasters dance round it, trampling it out; or, as in 
a fagot party, each guest may be required to fling 
a tiny fagot on the embers and either tell a story, 
sing a song, or do some other " stunt '' till it is en- 
tirely consumed. 

STRAW RIDE 

A straw ride is too well known to need any descrip- 
tion. The wearing of large straw farm hats by the 
guests is always funny and picturesque, while to 
trim the wagon with yellow bunting, oxeye daisies, or 
golden-rod is pretty. The horses can also have yel- 
low ribbons on their harness, or sprigs of golden-rod. 
The more uneven the road chosen, the better. It is 
well to have among the guests some who can sing 
well and lead choruses. A novel idea for a straw- 
ride supper is to have a miniature haystack on the 
table, in the center, with little pitchforks, rakes, 
hoes, scythes, spades, etc., round its base, each one at 
the end of a yellow ribbon streamer leading to some 
one's plate. At a signal, each guest pulls the rib- 
bon and gets one of these tiny implements, with 
which he or she is expected to eat the next course. 



66 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

SOUVENIR PICNIC 

A souvenir picnic has a special object in view. The 
picnickers go out, under the direction of the hostess, 
to enjoy themselves, but also to hunt for material 
to be used for some purpose. Birch bark, fungi, 
balsam, cones, wild grasses are all searched for, and 
the finest specimens possible brought in. After a 
good luncheon these are sorted over, and different 
guests promise to make certain sorts of souvenirs 
from them. One girl takes the balsam to dry and 
make pillows; another offers to embroider covers for 
them. One young man undertakes to make birch- 
bark match boxes or glove boxes, and another birch- 
bark waste-baskets and photograph frames. An ar- 
tistic guest takes the fungi to make etchings on them, 
and so on. When all the souvenirs are finished a 
souvenir sale is held, and the people at the hotels or 
in the town are usually glad to buy the lovely pro- 
ducts of this profitable picnic. 

A SAILING PARTY 

A sailing party is an old story, but a very satisfac- 
tory form of outdoor entertainment. In giving a 
moonlight sailing party on a large river, or off a fre- 
quented shore, it is often easier and pleasanter to 
stop somewhere for supper at a restaurant or cafe 
instead of preparing and carrying the food. Shawls, 
wraps, and cushions should always be provided by 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 67 

the hostess, as otherwise some guests will be certain 
to be cold and uncomfortable on the water. 



DRIVES 

A mountain or woodland or shore drive is a de- 
lightful form of outdoor entertainment. To start in 
the afternoon for some point of interest ten or fif- 
teen miles away, and order a good supper there, have 
a dance, perhaps, if conditions will allow of it, and 
drive home by moonlight, is a form of amusement 
that never palls if the guests are in the least con- 
genial. 

The advent of the automobile makes a trip of this 
kind possible of indefinite extension — forty or fifty 
miles instead of fifteen. In the same way the new 
motor boats make long trips on the water possible, 
with no fear of a calm and its embarrassments. More 
and more the Americans are becoming an out-of-door 
people, with new out-of-door sports and pleasures; 
and we may have air-ship moonlight excursions be- 
fore we get through. 

In concluding, one word about picnic fare. Every- 
thing should be wrapped daintily in waxed paper, 
and tablecloths, napkins, tumblers, etc., should be 
clean and shining. But nothing should be handsome 
or elaborate; that spoils the picnic effect. The Jap- 
anese paper napkin and the wooden plate are de- 
sirable. But it is never right to leave them littering 
6 



68 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

up a spot where a picnic has been held. To burn 
them carefully, in a fire that is trampled out on leav- 
ing, is the best way, and leaves out-of-doors as neat 
as before the picnic. An oil stove is a good thing 
to carry on picnics, to heat coffee or food with. 
Baked beans cooked in an earthen-covered pipkin, 
and lifted very hot off the stove into a basket or box 
filled with hay, which is packed down over the pip- 
kin, and a cloth tucked tight over all, will keep 
warm and appetizing for hours. So will a pot of 
succotash, or any hot dish not too liquid, that can 
be packed and carried in this way. Creamed chicken 
can be brought in this way, and be hot enough to 
be put into pate shells at the picnic luncheon, adding 
quite a zest to the bill of fare. If olives or other 
bottled or canned food are taken, can openers and 
corkscrews must not be forgotten, or can and bottle 
must be carefully opened before leaving. A close at- 
tention to dainty detail makes the difference between 
an appetizing picnic luncheon and a depressing one. 

SLEIGHING PARTIES 

A sleighing party is a pleasant winter form of out- 
door entertainment. Those who know most about 
sleighing take the greatest precaution against cold. 
When the guests begin to shiver, the fun is at an 
end. The sleighs should be roomy, well supplied 
with fur robes, and each guest should be supplied 
with either a soapstone or a hot-water holder for 



OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 69 

keeping the feet warm. Warm wraps should be put 
in for the benefit of those novices who start without 
thick enough clothing. It is best always to have a 
warm luncheon or supper at the other end of the 
sleigh ride, which can then be made longer without 
fear of freezing the participants. There is nothing 
more exhilarating than a comfortable sleigh ride, and 
nothing more wretched than an uncomfortable one. 
The more bells and accouterments on the horses, the 
jollier the effect. A moonlight sleigh ride is a spe- 
cially charming form of entertainment. 



CHAPTER IV 

children's parties 

IT is an easy thing, because of their responsive- 
ness, to afford a happy time for children. A 
few merry games, a light supper, a trifling sou- 
venir, and off they go, truthfully assuring their host- 
ess of having had " a splendid time." 

For very little tots, from two to five-thirty in the 
afternoon, or three to six, is the best time for a party. 
For children from five to twelve, four to eight o 'clock. 
For the latter, supper should be served shortly after 
their arrival. The tiny tots' invitations are, of 
course, written by mamma, but children of a larger 
growth appreciate an invitation much more when 
written in the large, round, painstaking hand of the 
boy or girl giving the party, supervised by an elder, 
yet retaining the turn of expression natural to a 
child. 

At these parties the hostess stands in the back- 
ground, cordially seconding the welcome first ex- 
tended to the guests by her little son or daughter. 
Half an hour is allowed for assembling, — music, or 
a " round " game filling up the interim before sup- 
per is announced. After supper come the games: 
Blind Man's Buff, Puss in the Corner, and the like; 
70 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 71 

then a dance, the Swedish '' Sir Roger de Coverly '* 
being most appropriate. In this dance half the 
children kneel and clap their hands; the rest run 
through their ranks to the top. 

Among the games or plays for children which fol- 
low, a number of old favorites have been included, 
others are old with new features, and many are new. 
As simplicity is the cry of the hour, suggestions for 
costly gifts and elaborate decorations or suppers 
do not occur. A hostess of unlimited means can 
control those features at will. 

CAT AND MOUSE 

All the players join hands and form a ring. A 
little girl — the mouse — ^stands in the center; outside 
the circle prowls a boy — the cat. They dance round 
and round rapidly, raising their arms at inter- 
vals. Watching his chance, the cat tries to spring 
into the circle at one side; the mouse dashes out 
at the other. The children, always sympathizing 
with the mouse, aid her efforts and impede the 
cat's. When the latter gets into the circle, they lower 
their arms to keep him prisoner. He goes around 
meekly, crying ^' Mew, mew," while they all dance 
gayly around him. AVith a sudden " Miaow," out 
he dashes through a weak place he has found in 
the chain of hands. He at once pursues the mouse, 
who runs for safety into the ring. If the cat is so 
near as to follow the mouse into the ring before he 



72 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

can be prevented, she pays a forfeit; also when 
caught outside the circle. If the cat is unsuccessful, 
he must pay the forfeit. Two other players are then 
selected by cat and mouse to succeed them. The 
forfeits are imposed by the hostess, and are paid 
when the game is over. They can be made very 
diverting. 

AN ANIMAL PARTY 

Invitations to this party may be written thus: 
*' Jimmie Robinson invites you for Saturday after- 
noon to an Animal Party. Please bring your men- 
agerie with you." 

The arrival of a score or more boys and girls at the 
appointed time with all sorts and sizes of animals, in 
arms, in little red and green wagons, in baskets, or 
on wheels led by a string, is a very funny sight, in- 
deed, and quite diverting to the neighbors. When all 
have arrived, there will be cotton-flannel elephants 
and rabbits, calico monkeys, cats, hens, roosters, and 
dogs, or real " store " ones, made of " sure enough " 
feathers and skin ; horses with long tails, and cows 
and donkeys with short. In the half hour allotted 
before refreshments are served a general examina- 
tion of one another's treasures takes place, and many 
an animal changes hands in the '' swapping " trans- 
actions which occur. From the dining room is heard 
the loud crow of a rooster announcing supper, at 
which the cakes and confections are cut and molded 
in the form of animals. In the center of the table is 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 73 

a large papier-mache Noah's ark, which at the proper 
time will fall to pieces, disclosing a pretty gift for 
each child. 

After supper a play called The Farm Yard is in 
order. A boy chosen for Farmer calls the children 
out one by one, gives them the name of beast or fowl, 
and instructs them, when he raises his right hand, 
to neigh, if he is a horse ; moo, if he is a cow, and so 
on; when he lifts his left hand, all must become 
silent. The donkey and rooster are instructed other- 
wise. When he lifts his left hand, they must bray 
and crow the louder. The effect is very comical if 
the boy representing the donkey '^ heehaws " in the 
proper manner. This play never fails to divert chil- 
dren, and even people who are '' grown up." 

Now follows an impromptu Noah's ark play. The 
children are grouped in the hall or adjoining room; 
some one at the piano plays a march, and into the 
ark file the youngsters, each leading an animal by a 
string. In and out, round and round they go, till the 
music ceases, '* good-bys " are said, and off for home 
chattering like magpies go the delighted little guests. 

A DOLL'S PARTY 

The invitations for this entertainment, written on 
** Tom Thumb " paper, request the little girls to 
bring their dolls with them in place of animals. 
This is essentially a girl's party, but boys can be 
included, adding to the fun by bringing rag dolls 



74 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

dressed as sailors, policemen, soldiers, etc. The 
ugliest doll will be displayed by the little hostess, 
whose tricks and experiences she will relate in a 
manner calculated to excite laughter and set the ball 
of chatter rolling. The boys, not to be left out in 
the talk, will have wonderful stories to tell of the 
doings and sayings of their respective dolls also. 
March is an appropriate time for such parties, as in 
flowery Japan the Feast of the Doll occurs in that 
month. That fact allows wide scope for decorations 
and costumes. A pretty idea would be to issue the in- 
vitations on cards or tiny note paper bearing the 
picture of a Japanese maiden, requesting the little 
guests to come attired in like manner. This can be 
easily done, and cheaply. 

For souvenirs, small Japanese fans, lanterns, dolls, 
etc. 

BIRTHDAY PARTY 

In honor of a child's birthday, the rooms should 
be made as festal as possible, with the birthday 
flower given great prominence. It is customary for 
the little guests to bring a trifling gift for their com- 
rade, but some parents forbid this apparent price of 
hospitality. 

The birthday cake at such a party holds the place 
of honor. Around the edge of this, in small tin hold- 
ers, are arranged a number of candles, one for each 
year of the child's life. These candles are blown out 
by the little guests, each in turn making a secret 




A DOLL'S PAETY. 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 75 

wish in the interest of the ** birthday '' girl or boy. 
A wreath of flowers, or knotted ribbons, hide the tin 
holders. Often the candles are omitted, the icing of 
the cake representing the face of a clock, the hour 
hand pointing to the number indicating the child's 
age. In this cake are baked the regulation ring, coin, 
and thimble, if the boy or girl guests are over ten 
years of age; if younger, a simple gift for each is 
found in his slice. Again, the birthday cake con- 
tains no surprises, but instead a Jack Horner pie, 
covered with paper crust and frills to conceal the 
gifts within, is brought in and deposited upon the 
table. Each present is wrapped in tissue paper and 
tied with ribbon, red, say, for boys, blue for girls; 
the ends appearing outside of the pie. ** One, two, 
three," counts the hostess; all pull simultaneously, 
and each child finds a gift at the end of his ribbon. 
Simple games follow, such as: 

THE LONE FISHERMAN 

This is a variation of the old donkey party. A 
square of muslin upon which is drawn or pasted a 
fisherman, with rod in hand, has been stretched at 
one side of the room. A fish made of crepe paper 
and stuck through its gills with a pin is given to each 
child, and one by one they are blindfolded and bid- 
den to attach the fish to the hook dangling from the 
fisherman's line. The one who places it on or near- 
est the hook receives an appropriate prize. 



76 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

HISS AND CLAP 

This is not a new game by any means, but always 
enjoyed by very young children. Boys all leave the 
room; girls are seated with a vacant chair at right 
hand of each. " Whom do you choose to sit beside 
you? " asks the leader. The little girl names a boy; 
he is ushered in, looks around the circle, and sits be- 
side the one whom he thinks likely to have chosen him. 
If correct, all " clap " him; if not, he is hissed, and 
must go out and try it over again. As a general 
thing, the little girls, unpracticed as yet in deception, 
betray their preferences so plainly that the boy, if 
he choses, will not have to leave the room; often he 
does not '^ choose," not admiring the one who has 
favored him, and so is more than ready to try it over 
again. 

INDOOR BUBBLE CONTEST 

Cover a long table with a woolen cloth; at inter- 
vals place ribbon-boimd wickets. Girls and boys 
take sides; each player blows three bubbles at a 
time, endeavoring to fan or blow them through the 
wickets before they burst. If the bubble passes one 
wicket, it counts five points; ten points are counted 
for two wickets, fifteen for three, and so on. A good 
formula for soapsuds, made the day before using, is : 
one gill of glycerin, one ounce white Castile-soap 
shavings, pint of water ; shake, and allow to settle. 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 77 

TOPSY-TURVY CONCERT 

The children selected for this performance should 
be of uniform size, or nearly so. Across the room is 
stretched a sheet, behind which the performers stand, 
gravely looking at the audience, only their heads 
showing above the sheet. On their arms stockings 
have been drawn; also over these are put shoes, 
slippers, and boots; the curtain is so arranged that 
unseen they take their places. One sings a verse of 
some topical song, at the close of which all per- 
formers duck their heads, uplift their arms and 
wriggle them about in all sorts of comical gestures, 
singing the chorus of the song at the same time. The 
effect is very funny, the singers apparently stand- 
ing on their heads. Then they drop their arms, raise 
their heads, and the second verse is sung. The effect 
can be made more comical by the girls dressing their 
arms in ruffles for pantalets, by Punch and Judy 
masks here and there, and so on. Some of the slip- 
pers and shoes used may be new and dainty, but old 
brogans and boots make the funniest showing. A 
singing master in front of the curtain, gesticulating 
wildly, and in a squeaking voice commanding, '' Now 
sing," adds to the fun greatly. 

UNITED STATES MAIL 

This requires a large room and little furniture. 
Chairs are arranged around at equal distances from 
each other. A postmaster is chosen by the company. 



78 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

He gives each one of the players the name of a city, 
which he records on a tablet. When the postmaster 
calls, '' The post is going from Chicago to Boston," 
the children bearing these names quickly change 
seats, while one who has been blindfolded seeks to 
secure one of the vacated seats. If successful, the 
player whose chair he occupies takes his place. Now 
and then ** General post " is called, when all change 
seats. The scrimmage which follows provokes no end 
of fun. 

FOX AND HEN 

This is a good out-of-doors game, but can be played 
in the house if an entire floor can be given up to the 
sport. A tract, or space, is set apart for the farm- 
yard, in which the chickens are safe from the fox. 
A boy is selected for the fox, and a girl for the hen; 
the rest are her chickens, standing in a row behind 
her, grasping one another by the waist. The fox 
then hides in his den, as secret a corner as he can find. 
The venturesome hen slowly approaches the den, fol- 
lowed by her chicks. ** Please, Mr. Fox," says she 
very politely at the entrance, '' can you tell me what 
time it is? " If not inclined to catch a chick for 
dinner, the fox answers, ** One o'clock," or ** Two," 
or '' Three," upon which the hen meanders off un- 
molested. This will happen several times; at last he 
replies, ** Twelve o'clock at night," dashes out, 
catches a chick if he can, and carries it to his den, 
from which she tries to escape when he next dashes 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 79 

out. If the fox succeeds in catching the hen, she be- 
comes the fox, and another hen is chosen. A sly fox 
will endeavor to keep the brood in a state of panic for 
some time by once in a while answering '' Twelve 
o'clock, noon! " The excitement of the little chicks 
will be enhanced if the fox bears the likeness of one 
by wearing a mask. 

A VALENTINE PARTY 

For each child invited, have ready a pretty valen- 
tine containing the childish message, *' I love you," 
written, if possible, and signed by the child or chil- 
dren giving the party. Inclose these in envelopes 
sealed with red wax, heart-shaped. As each little 
guest arrives, the hostess gives him or her a paper 
heart on which is written the name of a bird; these 
are duplicates, the little boys each holding one cor- 
responding to a girl's. After a merry game, such as 
Drop the Handkerchief, comes a loud peal of the 
door bell. A postman is admitted carrying a post 
bag over his shoulder. He stands in the hall, and 
inquires in a loud voice if Miss Bluebird lives there. 
The child answering to the name, in much astonish- 
ment, responds. '' I have a letter for you," says the 
postman; " come here and get it." She does so, 
and receives her valentine. Mr. Goldfinch, Mrs. Blue- 
jay, etc., follow, till half the guests have received 
a valentine. Then the postman shoulders his bag and 
leaves, to the manifest disappointment of the other 
little ones. Another round game, Blind-man's Buff," 



80 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

or Tirza, better known as Two's and Three's — a lull, 
and again the door bell rings loudly. 'Tis the post- 
man, who in like manner distributes the other val- 
entines. Now the birds, Mr. and Mrs. Blue jay, etc., 
join hands and skip about the room to a lively meas- 
ure, after which they flutter into the dining room, 
the little fellows very attentive to their respective 
mates. 

Saint Valentine's Post can be arranged along the 
same lines as United States Mail. In such a case, 
place the valentines in a pretty basket, wreathed with 
flowers and ribbons and suspended from the mantel 
or chandelier. When the children have arrived, the 
hostess " counts out " to find who will be postman. 
That one is blindfolded, and the rest sit around the 
room in a circle, the hostess, or one of the family, 
acting as postmistress; each child is given the name 
of city or town. " I have sent a valentine from 
Boston to Denver," says the postmistress. If a child 
remains seated when his name is called, he takes the 
postman's place, and the retiring postman receives a 
valentine. The game never flags, so anxious are the 
little ones to win a valentine. 

A Heart Hunt may follow this — small sugar hearts 
hid in nooks and crannies, or pasteboard hearts of 
different colors; white hearts, when found, counting 
one point, pink two, and so on. The child finding the 
greatest number is rewarded by a pretty gift, a heart- 
shaped basket filled with honhons, a bisque Cupid, a 
gilt bow and arrow, or the like. 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 81 

ALL FOOLS' DAY 

When or where the customs of the first day of 
April originated is not known, but in many climes 
and countries the day has for centuries been chosen 
as the proper time for playing harmless and amus- 
ing tricks on the unwary. In Scotland the hoaxed 
one is called ^' gowk," from the cuckoo bird, who 
does not know enough to build its own nest. In 
France he is called Poisson d'Avril, or April Fish, 
and, again. Silly Mackerel. In England, the day 
at the time of the arrival of the Christians was called 
Fools' Holiday. At all entertainments in honor of 
the day, guests have to be wary. A cream drop, when 
bitten into, may prove to be a small pill box filled 
with flour, the top and edges of the box pasted over 
with tissue paper, then iced. Small cakes will prove 
blocks of wood covered with batter and nicely 
browned in the oven; chocolate drops turn out to 
be wooden button molds, and a pretty confection, 
garnished with crepe paper, is only a small radish 
heavily iced. 

Any " trick " games are appropriate for All 
Fools' Day, a number of amusing ones, suitable for 
boys and girls of older growth, following. 

FOURPAWS MENAGERIE 

Those acquainted with the " show " betake them- 
selves to an adjoining room, where the animals 
are on exhibition. Those to be " hoaxed " enter the 



82 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

menagerie one at a time, and are met by the keeper, 
who asks what particular animal he or she desires 
to see first. ** A monkey,*' may be the pert answer. 
Gravely the keeper escorts the boy to a large cage, 
or what seems like one, in the corner; the curtain is 
drawn aside, and lo! the young man gazes into a 
mirror reflecting his own image. He remains in the 
room to laugh at the other dupes who follow. This 
show can be made very amusing by the ** knowing '' 
ones, who officiate as barker, doorkeeper, ticket seller, 
and attendants. The cage is composed of a number 
of chairs upon a table covered with shawls or sheets, 
and a mirror arranged as a window. 

MENAGERIE NUMBER TWO 

Secure a box four to six feet long, open at both 
ends ; put a sliding partition in the center, and place 
it, covered with a dark cloth, on a table in an ad- 
joining room. A boy and girl are admitted, and the 
usual question, what particular animal they desire 
to see first, is asked. The keeper places the girl at 
one end of the box and the boy at the other, telling 
them to gaze within. For a second they see nothing. 
The partition is suddenly lifted, and they gaze at one 
another. They remain in the room till all have been 
hoaxed in like manner. 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 83 

KNIGHT OF THE WHISTLE 

This game always proves enjoyable to young folks, 
no matter of what age. One unacquainted with the 
game is chosen for ^* dupe.'* He kneels down, and 
with many weird incantations and pow-wows the 
ceremony of declaring him Knight of the Whistle 
takes place. As he kneels, a ribbon to which a 
whistle is attached is deftly pinned to his coat. The 
company then sit on the floor in a circle, a whistle is 
produced by the leader, and the knight told to catch 
the one who blows it. All unconscious of the one 
dangling behind him — which is the one always blown 
— he turns round and round, vainly seeking the cul- 
prit. His frantic efforts in this direction are most 
amusing. In order to prolong the fun, the dangling 
whistle must not be touched by a clumsy hand. The 
one whom he at length catches at the trick must pay 
a forfeit, or wear a fool's cap the remainder of the 
evening. 

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR 

This is the old but ever-amusing hoax called the 
Mesmerist, in a new form, and well adapted to sup- 
plement any one of the above tricks at an All Fools' 
Day party. The leader, standing before the mantel, 
announces that a juvenile order of Knights Templar 
is about to be formed, and requires candidates for 
the same to advance and stand before him. A num- 
ber will do so, to whom he puts all sorts of absurd 
7 



84 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

questions requiring like answers. Suddenly the 
leader assumes a serious air, impressing upon the 
novitiates the importance of a certain rite which is 
to follow. Muttering a few words of gibberish, he 
claps his hands thrice, upon which signal a monk 
enters the room bearing a number of saucers. He 
deposits these upon a table, lights some joss sticks, 
bowing and salaaming, his head occasionally touch- 
ing the floor with an audible thump. With great 
ceremony he then passes a saucer to the leader, then 
one to each candidate. * ' Do as I do, ' ' commands the 
leader, " if you would be true knights." Rubbing 
his index finger along the bottom of his saucer, he 
then with the same finger makes a cross upon fore- 
head, nose, and chin. When the candidates, having 
done likewise, turn to the audience, they present a 
comical sight, some faces smeared with lampblack, 
others with crayon, green, blue, and red. The 
leader's face bears no sign, the bottom of his saucer 
having been perfectly clean. 

KISSING THE POPE'S TOE 

Those among the audience familiar with the trick 
remain in the room. In a large chair the pope seats 
himself, his entire person covered with a sheet reach- 
ing the floor, beneath which his slippered toe is just 
visible. One after another the pilgrims outside are 
admitted, kneel to kiss the pope's toe, and receive 
from the bending prelate a douche of cold water on 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 85 

head or neck. A sponge saturated with water, in the 
pope's hand, does the trick. 

AN EGG HUNT 

This can take the form of an Easter luncheon for 
little folks. Send the invitations written on the back 
of a pretty Easter card. Serve the luncheon on small 
tables arranged in a circle round a stand on which 
is a potted Easter lily, or a number of crepe paper 
ones, which can be made at home ox bought at very 
little cost. Two tiny candlesticks holding lighted 
tapers adorn each table; they are pretty when 
adorned with pale yellow paper shades. By the side 
of each plate the children find a souvenir in the shape 
of a china rabbit filled with tiny candy eggs, or per- 
haps a hen sitting on sugar eggs in a tiny basket or 
in a home-made nest. 

After the luncheon a search for Easter eggs takes 
place, the eggs, beautifully colored, having been hid- 
den throughout the lower floor. Among the number 
is a goose Qgg, or rather shell, colored a bright yellow, 
and tied about the middle with a red ribbon. When 
opened by the finder, a tiny chick is discovered with- 
in, holding in its beak a gold ring. If the finder be 
a girl, well and good; if a boy, it is a pretty custom 
for him to place it upon the finger of the little one 
he most admires. A pretty scene can be arranged for 
this ceremony by the hostess, or a circle may be 
formed, boy in center, who makes his choice, and, 



86 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

upon bended knee, places the ring upon her finger, 
the others dancing around singing one of their child- 
ish songs. 

AN EASTER RABBIT PARTY 

Children under ten will be delighted with an in- 
vitation to a party to be given on Easter Saturday 
or Easter Monday, by the Easter Rabbit, who, as 
everybody knows, bring the Easter eggs. Have little 
rabbits painted or sketched on the note paper, and 
have the hour not later than eleven in the morning. 
Get one of the large, German paper rabbits to act 
as host, and let each little guest be taken up and pre- 
sented to him with great formality. Let some one tell 
a fairy story in which the rabbit and the eggs figure 
largely, and then, because there is nothing incon- 
gruous between innocent fun and real religion, let 
the children sing one or two Easter carols. Then tell 
the little ones that the rabbit has made a nest apiece 
for them, and let the hunt begin. If space and 
weather permit, let the nests be placed in the ground, 
under bushes. In plats of excelsior, place little bas- 
kets or wooden trenchers filled with fern leaves, 
holding three or four gayly colored eggs. No child 
is allowed more than one nest, and when all are sup- 
plied, the merry party, carrying the nests and sing- 
ing a carol, march into the dining room. In the 
middle of the table a huge tray, sprinkled with sand, 
is fenced in by wire netting, and here are placed half 
a dozen downy little chicks, '' the best of all the 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 87 

party." Small paper rabbits and the yellow chickens 
and ducks, obtainable at every confectioner's at 
Eastertide, stand at each plate. Sugar cakes, cut in 
egg shapes, and frosted with white and chocolate 
frosting; egg-shaped ices or blancmanges, egg-shaped 
honhons, are then served, and as the children say 
good-by, to each one a bunch of the real Easter 
flower, the daffodil, is given. 

MAY DAY PARTY 

A Maypole should be erected in the open, if pos- 
sible; but should the weather prove unfavorable, it 
may be set up in a large room, a box, heavily 
weighted, taking the place of ground. If out-of- 
doors, the pole should be ten feet high and six inches 
thick at the base. Within a foot of the top, four-yard 
lengths of ribbon, of two harmonizing colors, should 
be fastened, flowers wreathed about this place and 
about the foot of the pole, the gay streamers of rib- 
bon floating as a pennon from the top. For a while 
the children engage in their well-beloved plays, 
* * Ring around a rosie, " * ' Oats, peas, beans, ' ' etc. ; 
then the May queen is chosen, each child writing the 
name of a preferred one on a slip of paper. To the 
throne — a wicker chair profusely garlanded — the one 
elected is with much ceremony duly conducted, the 
little host or hostess repeating, when crowning the 
queen : 

" Flossie, we hail thee as Queen of the May! 
Our love bring as tribute, and bow to thy sway." 



88 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

The queen's herald, a lad dressed picturesquely to 
fit the part, his trumpet gayly bedecked with rib- 
bons, now announces that the queen is about to choose 
her court. With a wreath of flowers (paper will do) 
she crowns each little girl who bows before her, be- 
stowing upon her the name of the flower composing 
her wreath, the boys receiving a duplicate flower for 
hat or coat, also a short stick with a bunch of ribbon 
attached, matching the color of their ribbon on the 
Maypole, the herald, with flourish of trumpet, pro- 
claiming the name of each boy as he bows before the 
queen. 

The dance around the pole is now in order, the 
folly bells on the boys' sticks lending additional live- 
liness to the scene. 

INDEPENDENCE DAY 

The Fourth of July, that carnival of powder and 
smoke in which young America revels, is generally 
observed by outdoor enjoyments — ^lawn parties, pic- 
nics, and family jaunts. For boys, no better sport 
can be found than the purely American game 

DUCK ON A ROCK 

A large rough stone is chosen for the rock, and a 
line ten or twelve yards for " home " drawn around 
it. Then the players '' pint " for duck, each one 
flinging a small stone at the rock, the one whose stone 
falls farthest from it being * * It. ' ' * * It " then places 




A SOAP-BUBBLE PARTY 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 89 

his stone on the rock as a mark for the rest, stand- 
ing near it. This is the first " duck.'* When one 
succeeds in knocking off the duck, there is a general 
stampede, each player seeking to recover his own 
stone or duck; but if " It " can replace his own 
stone and then touch anyone before he passes the 
'^ home " line, the latter becomes *' It." If all the 
stones fail to knock off the ** duck," their several 
owners cannot touch them till *' It," to whom they 
are forfeit, makes terms for their recovery. These 
" forfeits " he renders as difficult or humorous as 
possible — jumping ** home " holding the stone be- 
tween the feet, kicking it backward, and so on. The 
first one who fails to get his stone ' ' home ' ' in one of 
these feats becomes '' It." 

LAWN SKITTLES 

For this game a pole is firmly fixed in the ground, 
a heavy rope attached to the top, from which a ball 
is suspended. At equal distances from the pole, at 
opposite sides, two square slabs of stone are em- 
bedded. Sides are taken and a number for the game 
decided upon. On one of these stones, nine ninepins, 
or other objects resembling them, are placed; on the 
other the player stands, takes the ball in his hand, 
and, swinging it around the pole, aims to knock down 
the ninepins. He is allowed six chances, then an- 
other player takes his turn. The main feature in this 
game is swinging the ball around the post before 
throwing it. 



90 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

LAWN BOWLS 

Each player is provided with, two balls gayly 
colored, little larger than tennis balls. A white ball 
called Jack is first thrown to the end of the lawn ; the 
players who stand at this end aim to send their balls 
so they may lie as close to the white balls as possible. 
Sides and colors are now chosen. The side whose 
balls are nearest to the white ball reckon one point for 
each ball so placed; 7, 14, or 21 make game, ac- 
cording as agreed upon beforehand. The art of 
bowling in this play consists in knocking away the 
opponents' balls from their positions near the Jack, 
or in carrying off the Jack itself from among them, 
also in bowling nearer any other without disturbing 
one's own balls. This game does not require much 
space, but the ground must be level, grass short and 
well mowed. Girls, and even women, enjoy this play 
immensely. 

STARS AND STRIPES 

When aU the children invited to the lawn party 
have arrived, two leaders are chosen, who in turn 
choose sides. A line is marked off on the playground, 
and on each side at equal distances, about twelve feet 
or more from line, a small American flag is thrust 
into the ground. These flags the leaders zealously 
guard. The object of the opposing armies is to seize 
each other's flag. The leaders endeavor to prevent 
this by tagging anyone who comes dangerously near, 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 91 

and the child thus tagged is out of the game. When 
by dodging and running a player finally seizes a 
flag and carries it over into his own line of defense, 
the game is won, and the players on his side each 
receive a small silken flag, toy cannon, red-white-and- 
blue beribboned horn, candy, firecrackers, or the like. 

LAWN BUBBLE PARTY 

A tennis court is necessary for this party, the na- 
tional colors adorning the net, as well as porch or 
veranda. Girls range themselves on one side of the 
net, boys on the other, or they may play as partners. 
A bowl of soapy water, to which a tablespoonful of 
glycerin is added to contribute to the beauty of the 
prismatic colors, and clay pipes tied with ribbons, 
color determining sides, are provided by the hostess. 
The girls make the bubbles and the boys blow them 
over the net from their side, endeavoring to prevent 
the airy balls from floating into their domain. Each 
bubble that succeeds in floating over the net counts 
fifteen points for the side from which it came. Com- 
petition may take other forms, the largest bubble, the 
one retaining its form longest, or the longest chain 
of bubbles, winning a prize. Ornamental pipes, 
papier-mache soap boxes filled with honhons, toy 
drums, and other trifles, are suitable for prizes. 



92 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

MISS COLUMBIA'S TEA PARTY 

This should be arranged for a sunset tea on the 
lawn, the little ones to remain for an exhibition of 
fireworks. Bunting is everywhere, of course, and 
there should be stirring music appropriate to the day. 
The hostess is dressed to represent Columbia, and a 
number of boys are in soldier costume of the period 
of the Revolution. Paper cocked hats can be pro- 
vided for all in the march which will take place, 
headed by two Revolutionary urchins with fife and 
drum. A recitation on the veranda of *' Paul Re- 
vere 's Ride," or any other selection breathing of 
patriotism, will be in order for the day. Toy drums 
and cannon filled with candies, toy sabers, and mus- 
kets, are given for souvenirs, and a suitable prize for 
the one who best enacted his part. 

OVERALL PARTY 

For August and September all manner of outdoor 
parties can be devised. There are overall parties, at 
which the children are bidden to come ready to revel 
in sand gardens, with watering pots and tiny rakes; 
to race boats on a tiny pond or big tub of water; to 
see-saw, blow bubbles, play leapfrog, and the like. 
Refreshments are served under the trees. 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 93 

LITTLE BOY BLUE PARTY 

For a Little Boy Blue party, word your invitations 
thus: 

Little Boy Blue wants you to come 

And blow your horn 

For the sheep in the meadow 

And the cow in the corn. 

A great many tiny sheep are hidden in the shrub- 
bery and grass about the house. Each child is given 
a horn by the little host, dressed as Boy Blue, and 
told to seek the sheep, blowing their horns lustily. 
The one who finds the greatest number wins a prize. 
For a little girl it may be a Bo-Beep party, hiding 
the sheep in the same way, the invitations to read : 

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep 
Won't you come help her to find 'em? 

Little crooks with garlands of flowers, instead of 
horns, are given in this case. 

ACORN LAWN PARTY 

An acorn lawn party, following the same lines, 
always proves enjoyable to young children. Gay- 
colored bags of muslin are given to each child — red 
and green for the girls, blue and yellow for the boys. 
Inclose a large enough portion of lawn or grounds 
with long strips of cambric, the same color as the 
bags, knotted together and tied from tree to tree. 



94) THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

Gilded acorns, hidden from view as far as possible, 
are scattered over the ground thus inclosed. At a 
signal the children, who have been placed outside the 
ropes, dive under the strips of cambric and begin the 
search for the gold acorns. At the end of a specified 
time the children are called from the hunt, and an 
inexpensive prize awarded to the one who has se- 
cured the greatest number of acorns. Have a con- 
solation prize for the one who brings in an empty 
bag. Serve cake and lemonade out-of-doors. An 
acorn or oak leaf sketched on Kate Greenaway paper 
makes a pretty invitation to such a party. 

HALLOWE'EN FROLICS 

As young children have naught to do with charms 
and divinations foretelling their future husbands and 
wives, the observance in that respect, peculiar to all 
entertainments for youths and maidens on the eve 
of November, are given elsewhere. As a general 
thing boys like to carve their own jack-o'-lanterns, 
indispensable on Hallowe'en, and a bee arranged for 
that purpose in one's cellar will prove an enjoyable 
affair. Hollowed-out pumpkins and squashes, the 
latter for girls, are provided for each guest, of course. 
The floor must be covered with carpet, everything un- 
sightly hidden behind evergreen and large branches 
of trees, a huge pumpkin and other jack-o'-lanterns, 
or lamps with yellow shades, affording the light. As 
the children carve out the hideous features, an elder 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 95 

person recites a ghost story, breaking off at the 
crucial point for the youngsters to supply the de- 
nouement. A great deal of fun results from this, the 
one supplying the best ending — however far from the 
true version — receives a prize. Lanterns in hand, 
they next explore the cellar and upper floor for Cap- 
tain Kidd's treasure, a leader with a divining rod 
directing the hunt; the treasure, when discovered, 
goes to the finder — a purse filled with nickels, or a 
few dimes. Since the leader has been kept in ig- 
norance of the true location of the purse, it is found 
without his divining rod, whereupon the seekers fall 
upon him, secure the rod, and compel him, by its use, 
to perform sundry stunts amusing to the company. 
A huge black cat (tailless) next claims their atten- 
tion, drawn upon a sheet stretched on one side of the 
room. Each receives a tail of paper to affix, blind- 
folded, to the cat. The mieows and catcalls of the 
children at every failure are very amusing. Bobbing 
for apples in a tub of water can come next, dimes 
having been secreted in a few of them. The apples 
are stemless, and must be caught by the bobber's 
teeth. 

Twelve candles, of different colors, in gourd can- 
dlesticks, are now arranged on the floor, a foot and 
a half apart, each named for a month of the year — 
February brown, March green, and so on. Each 
child in turn jumps over the candles; if not one is 
extinguished, the year promises good luck in all en- 
deavors of the jumper, studies and so forth; should 



96 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

one flicker out, during that month for which it stands 
his luck will be otherwise. 

From a huge pumpkin in the center of the supper 
table the little girls draw dolls dressed as witches, 
the boys Brownies, wispbrooms, etc. Lighted lan- 
terns in hand, they then trudge home. 

A BROWNIE PARTY 

A meeting of the Brownie clan is most appropriate 
for Hallowe'en, the invitations written on miniature 
note paper, on which is drawn, or pasted, one of 
Palmer Cox's pictures, requesting the boy, if pos- 
sible, to come so attired. Or the hostess may provide 
for her guests felt moccasins with long pointed toes, 
and brown caps with drooping tassels. After a 
march about the room, led by the little host in 
Brownie costume, the hostess enters hurriedly, an- 
nouncing the presence of a strange animal in the 
house. Will not the Brownies, ever ready to lend a 
hand, aid her in finding it? The quest leads them to 
an unfurnished room on the top floor, or to the cellar, 
as before given, which, to their amazement, they find 
appropriately decorated and lighted by numerous 
jack-o'-lanterns. The strange animal will be the 
tailless black cat, etc. Shadow pantomimes of 
Brownie figures, or a Punch-and-Judy show, always 
delight small children. 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 97 

CHRISTMAS PARTIES 

The poetic myth of Santa Claus, fat and jolly, with 
his reindeer and jingling bells, his bulging pack of 
toys and candy boxes, has charmed the children of 
many generations, and will, we hope, continue to for 
many more. 

If an elaborate setting for a Christmas entertain- 
ment is required for young children, cover the walls 
of the room in which they assemble with white cheese 
cloth moistened with gum arable (using brush or 
sponge) and powdered well with mica dust. Pile 
furniture in corners and cover with same, suggesting 
snowdrifts; small evergreen trees, placed here and 
there, may be trimmed with balls of cotton batting, 
also frosted, and jagged bits of combed-out cotton for 
icicles hang from various points, sprinkled heavily 
with the dust. Screens covered with sheets, to which 
sprays of greens are attached, also help to lend an 
air of fairyland to the room. This is the 

HOME OF SANTA CLAUS 

Open the entertainment with music, drifting into 
a Christmas hymn in which they can all join, fol- 
lowed by a recitation of "' The Night Before Christ- 
mas " by the little hostess, dressed as a fairy, if she 
can be trained to the part. Now let silence fall upon 
the company, broken by some one saying " Sh-h. " 
A bell is heard to ring loudly; a telegraph messenger 



98 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

is admitted, who announces that Santa Clans has 
been delayed — a slippery roof, smoking chimney, fire 
down town, or any cause that comes to mind. This 
has a pronounced effect upon the very young chil- 
dren. After the buzz has subsided, again comes the 
warning * ' Sh-h. ' ' Sleigh bells are now heard in the 
distance; nearer and nearer they come; a bustle at 
the door ; in comes Santa, pulling a sleigh on which is 
a huge snowball sparkling with diamond-dust frost, 
as are his hair and whiskers. This snowball is made 
of several ordinary wooden hoops, one inside the 
other to form a sphere, over which muslin is fastened, 
and then cotton batting lightly tacked. An opening 
is left in the muslin, through which Santa Claus, 
with many a quip and jest, brings forth a gift for 
each child. Sleigh bells announce supper. In the 
center of the table is a Christmas tree trimmed with 
tinsel, upon the branches of which hang candies and 
small toys. After supper have a circle game or two, 
a dance, and — home. 

Or, decorate the room simply with branches of 
evergreen and holly, and have it lighted only by 
candles and the glow of an open fire. After all are 
assembled, the mother of the little girl or boy who 
gives the party tells the children slowly and dis- 
tinctly the legend of the Christmas stocking; of how 
good Saint Nicholas, overtaken by a storm one 
Christmas eve, took refuge in a convent, preaching 
to the gentle nuns, after supper, a wonderful sermon. 
They begged him to come again the following year at 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 99 

the same time. He did so, but, before retiring, asked 
each nun to give him a stocking. In the morning, to 
their great delight, each stocking was found filled 
with sugar-plums. In this way Saint Nicholas re- 
quited the nuns for their hospitality. The legend can 
be amplified and made very interesting to the chil- 
dren, picturing Saint Nicholas on the road, knocking 
at the gate, etc. In the silence that ensues, the door 
bell rings loudly. A messenger enters with a pack- 
age. Santa Claus is detained, but hopes to get 
around later. The hostess opens the package and 
discloses stockings of all sizes and colors within. 
Each child is given one, and his or her name, and the 
gift desired, are written and pinned upon it before 
he or she fastens it to the mantel. A childish game 
or two is played, then supper is announced. At in- 
tervals, noise as of something coming down the chim- 
ney is heard. "When all return to the parlor, there 
stands Santa Claus, his whiskers, hair, and cloak 
marred with soot. In the meantime the stockings 
have been filled, positions changed, and a general 
mix-up has taken place. Santa makes a humorous 
speech; the children join hands and dance around 
him; then he bids them find their several stockings. 
A lively time ensues. 

SHADOW PANTOMIMES 

No more fascinating entertainment can be devised 
for young children than the story of Santa Claus 



100 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

enacted behind a curtain. A dimly lighted room, a 
curtain tightly stretched, a stand with brightly glow- 
ing lamps, between which and the curtain performers ' 
stand are the necessaries. First the Babe in the 
Manger is shown, some one at the piano singing 
Phillips Brooks's Christmas hymn: 

O little town of Bethlehem, 
How still we see thee lie! 

Next come the wise men from the East bringing gifts 
to the Child. Now change the scene to a homelike 
one : a child hangs up its stocking ; the mother, in her 
low rocker, hushes it to sleep, then tucks it in bed. 
Enter Santa Claus, who fills the stocking, makes too 
much noise, runs out; child wakes, jumps up, finds 
stocking full of gifts. 

The gifts can be distributed this way: Give a slip 
of paper to each child, or to a leader whom they fol- 
low, reading, *' Look under the mat near the piano.'* 
Pellmell the children run to the place indicated. 
There they find another note telling them to look in 
the pocket of an overcoat hanging in the hall, up- 
stairs, or anywhere. After many such fruitless 
searches, they at length find a note telling them to 
look on the Christmas tree. Then the dining-room 
door is opened, and there they find the tree bearing 
a gift for each one. 

In place of the traditional tree, a ladder may be 
used for a novelty, trimmed with pine and holly ber- 
ries, the gifts suspended from the rounds. Or, again, 



CHILDREN'S PARTIES 101 

a large packing box covered with evergreens, from 
the inside of which Santa Clans pops up suddenly, 
bows to the astonished children, and proceeds to dis- 
tribute the gifts at his feet. 

A Saint Nicholas's sack is always in order for a 
Christmas entertainment. A huge sack made of 
crepe paper and filled with honhons is suspended 
between folding doors, a sheet spread on the floor be- 
low. Each child receives a small basket, is in turn 
blindfolded, and with a cane, which is placed in his 
hand, instructed to give the bag a good whack. The 
bag presently bursts, and the scramble for the sweets 
which follows affords the youngsters a merry time. 



CHAPTER V 

ENTERTAINMENTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM TWELVE 
TO SEVENTEEN YEARS OF AGE 

NEW YEAR'S EVE 

IT has long been a custom to open wide the house 
door the eve of January first, and with great 
formality take leave of the departing year and 
merrily greet the new. A little before twelve o'clock, 
as the guests invited for the evening are at table, the 
dining-room door opens, and on the threshold stands 
an old man with flowing white beard and hair, a 
scythe over his shoulder, and in his hand an hour- 
glass, the last grain of sand about to fall. The clock 
strikes twelve ; his head falls upon his breast ; a sigh, 
a wave of his hand in farewell, and the Old Year 
departs, a tiny, golden-haired boy, robed in white 
and garlanded with flowers, taking his place, while 
unseen musicians sing: 

Ring out the old, ring in the new; 

Ring happy bells across the snow, 

The year is going, let him go, 
Ring out the false, ring in the true. 

Toasts are then drunk to the New Year, more song 
and music are enjoyed, and all, before departing, 
sing ' ' Auld Lang Syne. ' ' 
102 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 103 

Not so many years ago, the old Scottish mummers 
went about on this night from door to door, chanting : 

Hogmanay, 

Trollolay, 
Gie me o' your white bread, 
I'll hae nane o' your gray; 

and to this day, not only in Scotland, but wherever 
Scots are found, lads lurk about the thresholds of 
certain lassies that they may be the first to enter the 
door after midnight. 

The first foot's entering step, 
That sudden on the floor is welcoming heard. 
Ere blushing maids have braided up their hair. 
The laugh, the hearty kiss, the good New Year. 

Fortune-telling, palm reading, and other devices 
for foretelling their matrimonial future, are prac- 
ticed by young people on this night as well as Hal- 
lowe'en. I will confine myself to more novel ways of 
observing the eve of New Year's. 

A LEAF PARTY 

Upon your cards of invitation sketch, or paste, a 
leaf — natural or paper — requesting the recipients to 
come and help you turn over some new leaves. Have 
prepared a book for each guest — large sheets of writ- 
ing paper between pasteboard covers decorated with 
a leaf — which a little boy representing the New Year 
may distribute. The pages of the book are headed 



104 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

first by ** Your faults: mention some of them." 
** What resolutions did you make last year? How 
many did you keep? '* On the last page, ** Good 
Eesolutions for 19 — .'' The directions are not taken 
seriously, of course, and when the books are collected 
by the golden-haired ** New Year " and delivered to 
the hostess, who reads the confessions aloud, much 
laughter ensues, particularly if there be a few wits 
among the company. As the pages are unsigned, now 
comes a guessing contest as to their authors, the one 
guessing the greatest number correctly winning a 
prize — a pretty clock, hourglass, paper weight, cal- 
endar, diary, etc. 

A clever hostess can see many possibilities in an 
affair of this kind, each guest, for instance, passing 
his book to his right-hand neighbor, a girl who, with- 
out glancing at the previous pages, must write the 
** Good Resolutions, ' ' the feminine resolves follow- 
ing the male's peccadillos and vice versa, affording 
a very funny climax indeed. Upon their entrance 
guests may be given leaves of different colors, to be 
pinned on corsage and coat, the young men in this 
way finding their partners for the evening. Music 
and dancing enter into an entertainment of this kind, 
or tests for telling the future. 

A NAUTICAL TEA 

Probably the old saying, " When my ship comes 
in," suggested to a very young woman the idea of 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 105 

giving the following novel New Year's supper or tea, 
the invitations reading thus : 

'' As our ship is hailed for the New Year, it will 
give us great pleasure to have you take tea with us 
January first. Please come aboard at six-thirty. The 
gangplank will be withdrawn at eight." 

The hostess was a bride of eighteen, and her guests 
about that age or younger. Evergreens and smilax 
decorated the rooms, with bunches of holly — echoes 
of Christmas — here and there. Over the dining-room 
door two oars were crossed, on the paddles of which 
were printed the words " Come aboard." The table 
was laid with a sea-green cover over which a fish net 
was drawn. An enormous pumpkin, hollowed out to 
admit of a round, deep pan, painted green, adorned 
the center. This pan was filled with water, and on 
this strange sea floated a ship, sails full spread, laden 
with fruit, nuts, and a few small vegetables, a toy 
sailor here and there for bringing in the cargo. On 
the side of the pumpkin tiny anchors were caught, 
from which varicolored ribbons, or rope, entwined 
with delicate greenery, marked the way to each 
guest's place. Little canoes filled with honJ)ons were 
attached to these ropes, the name of the guest written 
upon the paddle laid across the bow of each tiny 
craft. So far the " nautical " idea was carried out; 
the plays which followed in the drawing-room aban- 
doning it somewhat, though the *' tailless fish " 
tacked to a sheet, to which all blindfolded sought to 
attach a paper tail, and '' Rocked in the Cradle of 



106 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

the Deep," sung by the host, were very appropriate. 
Had the hostess known of the game Fishing for 
Fate, elsewhere given, she doubtless would have 
added it to the festivities of the evening. 

LEAP-YEAR DANCE OR PARTY 

In only one year out of four does the opportunity 
occur for young folks to enjoy the peculiar privi- 
leges accorded them at leap year. The dance, or 
party, may be given any time through the year, 
though December 31st and February 29th are favor- 
ite dates. At these parties the young women defray 
all the expenses of the evening, issue the invitations, 
individually, requesting the pleasure of Mr. So-and- 
So's company to the dance or party, sending him 
by messenger, on the eventful evening, a huge comic 
bouquet wrapped in many sheets of tissue paper. 
A carriage is sometimes engaged by the young woman 
to call for the invited one, or, better, by two young 
women, for their guests. At the hall or house the 
young men congregate, and act as near like bashful, 
unsophisticated maidens as they can, kissing one an- 
other rapturously as they meet, holding one another's 
hands, etc., the young women at the same time walk- 
ing about and aping manners masculine. Presently 
the men find seats, and the young women, lounging 
about the door, solicit introductions of the floor 
manager, and of each other, and try to get their part- 
ners' programmes agreeably filled. At supper, the 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 107 

young men sit still and are waited upon laboriously 
by the fair maids. Favors for the cotillon may in- 
clude chocolate cigars, packages of candy cigarettes, 
German pipes, and steins for the young women; 
housewives, candy scissors, buttons, hair ribbons, etc., 
for the young men. The especial privileges of the 
evening cease when the time for leaving comes. The 
young ladies are escorted home in the usual manner. 
Like Hallowe'en, the religious ceremonials attached 
to Saint Valentine's day have long been a thing of 
the past; indeed, it is extremely doubtful if it ever 
was observed as a saint's day, since, of the legends 
attaching to it, all are devoted to Cupid and his 
affairs, none seeming to have even a remote connec- 
tion with Saint Valentine himself, a devout priest 
who suffered martyrdom during the third century. 
The day doubtless had its inception in the old Roman 
Lupercalia, a series of feasts in honor of Pan and 
Ceres, which were annually celebrated during the 
month of February. Among other ceremonies pecul- 
iar to these revels was that of the selection of 
spouses. Into a box were put slips of parchment 
containing the names of unmarried women, and these 
were drawn, as chance directed, by the unmarried 
men, each of whom took to wife the maiden whose 
name his slip bore. The old proverb anent the lot- 
tery of marriage may have sprung from this custom. 



108 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

PROGRESSIVE PROPOSALS 

Arrange this party for Saint Valentine's eve, and 
have the rooms decorated with hearts made of red, 
silver, and gilt paper, one very large one, pierced 
with a dart, on an easel. An equal number of young 
men and girls have been invited. When all have 
arrived, the girls are seated, a vacant chair at the left 
hand of each, or, if the rooms are spacious, two chairs 
arranged for a tete-d-tete placed here and there. 
Two baskets are passed around, if possible by a 
pretty boy representing Cupid, from which the guests 
draw each a slip of paper containing the name of 
a world-renowned lover — Romeo, Antony, Abelard, 
Dante, Paoli, etc., by the girls; Juliet, Cleopatra, 
Heloise, Beatrice, Francesca, etc., by the young men. 
These, when properly mated, determine the couples 
for entering into the first conversation. To the girls 
have been given cards on which the actual names of 
the young men are written, a blank space left after 
each name; also a small box containing miniature 
paper hearts and mittens, mucilaged on the back, like 
stamps. 

At the tap of a bell Romeo seats himself beside 
Juliet, Antony beside Cleopatra, and so on, and at 
another tap conversation begins, the young men 
framing their proposals in a way calculated to please 
their partners. Ten minutes is allowed for proposal 
and answer, the young woman, if she accepts, past- 
ing a red heart against her wooer's name, otherwise 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 109 

a mitten. As it is the aim of every girl adroitly to 
fence and hinder the young man from declaring him- 
self, the period allotted often passes without his 
doing so. At the expiration of the time limit the 
touch of the bell indicates the opportunity is no 
longer open, and so the wooer passes on to lay siege 
to the next damsel's heart in order, as per arrange- 
ment of seats. To the young man succeeding in mak- 
ing the greatest number of proposals goes the prize 
— a heart-shaped scarf pin, sofa cushion, or some- 
thing like; to the one receiving the greatest number 
of mittens, a paper doll or a bleeding heart. These 
are determined by examination of all the cards, 
hearts winning, mittens losing. The hostess can add 
to the amusement by awarding a prize to the too sus- 
ceptible young lady, the number of red hearts on her 
card proving her overreadiness for listening to pro- 
posals. A valentine, with a lovelorn inscription 
upon it, would do, or a heart-shaped pincushion stuck 
full of pins. 

LOVE'S TARGET 

Get a wooden or heavy cardboard frame in the 
shape of a heart ; over this stretch white muslin, and 
on the outer edge paint a black border three inches 
wide ; inside of that paint another blue, then a red, a 
green, and so on, all the same width, till the space 
is filled save for a bull's-eye, made of gilt paper, 
in the center. Near the target stands Cupid with a 
gilded bow, and in his quiver an arrow for each 



110 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

guest. On the other side, the King of Hearts stands 
beside a wheel of fortune, and as each youth and 
maiden shoots an arrow at the target he chants: 



Or, 



If your arrow hits the red, 
You will very shortly wed. 

Should your arrow pierce the green, 
No wedding day for you, I ween. 

When your arrow hits the blue, 
Cupid takes a shot at you. 

If the arrow pierces black, 
A true love you'll never lack. 

If it chance to hit the white, 
You will meet your fate to-night. 

If your dart go wide astray, 
You will throw your heart away. 

Should it pierce the heart of gold, 
Joy for you and love untold. 

The target should be placed at the end of a rather 
spacious room devoid of much furniture. 

The place cards at table for such an entertainment 
should be miniature valentines, or hearts made of 
paper or cardboard, with some such bits of sentiment 
written in liquid gold or silver: 

If you will accept me for your beau, 
Don't (h) arrow my heart, but tell me so. 

From the beak of a little owl, on another, issue the 
words, " Owl me heart is yourn. '^ 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 111 

Diamonds and silks and laces fine, 
Are yours, if you'll be my valentine. 

** Let US be a happy pair," etc. These sentiments 
are inscribed only upon the cards bearing the names 
of the young men, who exchange with their fair 
neighbors. 

A CUPID PARTY 

Issue to the young men invitations of light-weight 
cardboard cut in the shape of folding hearts, about 
four inches wide, with hinge at the top. Through 
both sections cut slits near the lower part, and fasten 
them together by thrusting a gilded pasteboard ar- 
row through. Write the name of the young man 
across the heart, unless it is to be sent by post in a 
separate envelope. Below the invitation, written on 
one leaf of the heart, is a little footnote: " Please 
bring the key to your heart attached to a ribbon of 
your favorite color." The young ladies invited are 
requested to prepare their own hearts of cardboard 
six inches wide, decorating them as fancy or skill 
may devise, a quotation appropriate to the design or 
an original couplet following. Through the top of 
the heart the young lady fastens a narrow ribbon, 
her favorite color, writing her initials in small type 
on the back. On reaching the house the guest gives 
the heart she has prepared to her hostess, who, when 
all have arrived, attaches it with the others to a 
stout cord of twisted colors stretched across the far- 



112 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

ther end of the room. When the company is seated, 
a tiny bow and arrow is produced, each young man 
shooting at one of the suspended large hearts in turn. 
The one struck by the arrow is taken down, initials 
read aloud by the hostess, whereupon to that young 
lady the marksman presents the key of his heart, she 
attaching it by its ribbon to her bodice, and he her 
heart on the lapel of his coat. When all are thus 
mated, the happy pairs promenade the room to the 
accompaniment of music, until approached by the 
hostess, who gives to each a tiny red heart attached 
to a cord, bidding them follow where the heart leads. 
Great merriment ensues, but after much tangling and 
untwisting, all finally reach the goal where refresh- 
ments are served. The table may be decorated with 
* * true-lover 's knots, ' ' bisque cupids, hearts, turtle- 
doves, and other insignia of Saint Valentine, viands 
and confections partaking of the same forms where 
possible. 

When all have returned to the drawing-room, the 
hostess, dressed as a sibyl, wearing a long black veil, 
announces that to her is given the honor of revealing 
to every young man present the name of his future 
wife. Cupid now enters, and from a pretty basket dis- 
tributes blank visiting cards and small pencils to the 
young men, who write their names thereon; these he 
collects and passes to the sibyl, who is seated behind 
a small table or stand in the corner, as far from the 
company as space will permit. After an interval in 
which the scratch of a pen is audible, the sibyl rises 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 113 

and commands one of the young men to approach the 
table. She hands him an envelope, bidding him not 
to open it until permission is given to do so. When 
all have received their envelopes, she gives a signal; 
they are opened, and lo ! within is each young man 's 
own visiting card, with '' Mrs." prefixed. 

The game of hearts with cards follows, or a search 
for hearts hidden about the room, which, when found, 
will prove to be little boxes, sealed, in each box 
twelve wee hearts of pasteboard, each having a word 
written upon it. These words, arranged rightly, 
form a proverb or sentiment appropriate to the oc- 
casion. Half an hour is allotted for forming these 
words into sentences, and a prize is offered to the 
partners who succeed in forming the most sentences 
correctly. The hearts, when all are seated about the 
table, are equally distributed among the players. 
When the words in hand are grouped, borrowing is 
begun. Each player in turn asks for one word from 
the hand of an opponent. If the person called upon 
has the word demanded, he is obliged to give it up. 
If not, the player who asked for it loses, the turn 
passing to the next player in line. A sentence when 
thought to be complete is referred to the hostess. If 
correct, the cards are retained by the phrasemaker. 
If not, they are returned to the pool in the center of 
the table, from which all draw instead of calling 
upon each other. Volumes of verses in dainty bind- 
ings would be suitable rewards. 



114 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

COLLEGE HEARTS 

This is a card game arranged for Saint Valentine's 
eve, or evening, played in much the same manner as 
military euchre. Partners for the evening are deter- 
mined in two ways : in the hallway have a basket of 
bows and arrows tied by different shades of ribbon; 
the bows, naturally, belong to the young men, who 
fasten them to vest buttons ; the arrows to the young 
ladies, who wear them in the hair; the matching of 
colors deciding partners. Or, take a package of old- 
fashioned valentine envelopes of embossed design, 
and draw or paint on each a different sort of flower. 
"Write the name of a certain girl who is to be present 
on a card and inclose it in the envelope, forming as 
many floral envelopes as there are girls in the party; 
then upon separate cards write the names of all the 
flowers represented. Have the name cards in a bas- 
ket, or dish, in the front hall, and the envelopes — 
sealed, of course — on the drawing-room table. On 
entering, each young man selects from the basket in 
the hall the flower he prefers, and in the drawing- 
room he receives the envelope decorated with the 
chosen flower. When all the guests have arrived, the 
floral envelopes are opened. The girl whose name is 
found in the envelope becomes the partner of the man 
who chose her emblem. 

Each table, representing a college, has festooned 
above it the college colors in narrow ribbon. The 
players are sent out from their respective tables to 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE H^ 



pile up a score for their college, and every game won 
entitles that team to hang a large tissue-paper heart 
on the college ribbon. The hearts should be of deli- 
cate shades, equipped with a wire hook for suspension 
on the ribbon. 

As we have said in another chapter, All Pools' 
Day observances take the form of tricks or deception, 
rather than plays. For a young people's party on 
the first of April, no better entertainment can be 
arranged than one of thought reading. After ar- 
ranging particulars with his confederate, the mind 
reader leaves the room. The company selects a 
trade, which they at length whisper in the ear of 
the confederate — " shoemaker," for instance. The 
mind reader is then recalled. " Is the trade chosen 
that of a blacksmith? " queries the confederate. 
*'No." ''Grocer?" ''No." "Lawyer?" "No." 
" Shoemaker? " " Yes." They had merely ar- 
ranged that the trade thought of should follow a 
profession. An article in the room is then chosen. 
"Is it this?" "No." "This?" "No." " Is it 
that?" "No." "Isitthis?" "Yes!" "That" 
being the keynote, but it having been arranged be- 
forehand that the article in question should not fol- 
low it immediately, but two or three questions later. 
This trick never fails to mystify the company. 

Another requires two players, as before : one, the 

mind reader, stands in a corner, the other in the 

middle of the room. " Leave the room," presently 

says the confederate. The mind reader does not stir. 
9 



116 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

*' Henry, do you hear? '' commands the other. 
Some one in the company laughs or speaks, where- 
upon Henry leaves the room. The confederate makes 
a great show of choosing a proper person to touch. 
The mind reader is recalled. ' ' Whom did I touch 1 ' * 
he is asked. The right one is always designated by 
the mind reader, for it is he or she that laughed or 
spoke before he left the room. 

PILLOW CLIMBING 

In the middle of the floor, some distance apart, 
place sofa cushions, lamps, bric-a-brac, etc. From 
among the company choose a very smart young man 
who was never " hoaxed," and ask him to walk over 
the course between these articles, so as to fix in his 
mind the distance and situation of various articles. 
He is then blindfolded and commanded to thread 
his way carefully among them so as not to touch 
one. Very gingerly he will do so, and when, trium- 
phant over his success, the handkerchief is taken from 
his eyes, to his surprise not an article remains on 
the floor ; all were removed while he was blindfolded. 
He wears a fool's cap the rest of the evening. His 
cautious movements and tacking here and there to 
avoid the removed articles cause unbounded merri- 
ment. 




PILLOW-CLIMBING GAME. 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 117 

FOURTH OF JULY 

No entertainment throughout the year affords 
more effective possibilities than a Fourth-of-July 
celebration, invitations to which should be in the 
simplest form possible. If cards are to be a function 
of the afternoon, have the guests met at the door by 
a small boy or girl representing Uncle Sam or Co- 
lumbia, presenting a basket in which are flags for 
each guest, the numbers thereon designating the table 
at which they are to sit. This may be termed a flag 
party, for that emblem decorates the room, tables, 
and counters. In place of punching the score cards, 
tiny flags, previously gummed, are pasted on the 
cards. 

After supper or tea follows the Liberty cotillon, 
with figures in national colors, or a quaint dance of 
long ago to the tune of *' Money Musk," ** Old Dan 
Tucker,'' and so on, the old-time Virginia Reel, ** Up 
the middle and down again,'' lending itself well to 
a grassy dancing hall under lantern-lit trees and 
starlit sky, while rockets burst in air and fire- 
crackers make things lively. 

A VERANDA PARTY 

The invitations to this party were written on cards 
cut out and painted to represent watermelons, and 
read simply ** Miss Mary Denver, at Home, Wednes- 
day evening. Watermelon. ' ' The guests went to this 



118 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

party fully expecting a good time, and they had it. 
"When they had all assembled, guessing games were 
started. First came the weight of an immense 
melon. After the number of seeds were guessed, each 
guest was asked to write a watermelon conundrum. 
* ' "When is a watermelon like a bad coin ? " * ' When 
it is plugged, ' ' winning first prize. Those who failed 
to make a conundrum were allowed to make a verse 
instead, the worst receiving a booby prize. Needless 
to say, * ' felon ' ' rhymed with melon nearly every 
time. Upon their return from the dining room, where 
ice-cold watermelons, watermelon sherbet, and little 
cakes iced in pink and green, were served on an un- 
covered highly polished table, they were delighted to 
find the veranda and lawn softly lighted with melon 
lanterns of all shapes and sizes, the grotesque faces 
carved thereon suggesting stories and anecdotes of 
like character. Plantation melodies, with guitar, 
banjo, and piano accompaniments, finished up this 
simple, inexpensive entertainment. 

A ROOF PARTY 

A young lady residing in a flat building in a large 
city arranged a unique party for a summer evening 
in the following way: Cards of invitation were sent 
to her young friends, requesting their presence at a 
** haphazard roof party," suggesting they should 
come attired in their plainest clothes. Ascending 
the stairs, the young people followed signboards 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 119 

pointing to the ' * halfway house, ' ' the top flat, where 
the hostess greeted them, and directed them to the 
*' summit." On the roof door was the placard 
bidding all consult the programme first, and when 
this was done the guests found various parts assigned 
to each. Signs made with ink and brush on wrap- 
ping paper met the eye at every turn : * ' Keep off the 
grass," ^' Five dollars fine if you pick the flowers," 
" This way to the animal house," '' To the fish- 
pond," etc. Hammocks, chairs, parapets, chimneys, 
all bore amusing signs, such as, *' This chair for the 
oldest guest," '* Persons weighing over fifty pounds 
not allowed in this hammock, " * * Out of repair, ' ' and 
so on. All entered into the spirit of the thing 
and made the party a success. Those bidden to be 
acrobats performed wonderful feats on bits of old 
carpet; the mounted police climbed fearlessly to the 
top of the chimney ; the keeper of the animals strolled 
about with a basket of animal crackers, when not 
guarding a corner where bears and lion and monkeys 
snarled, or played pranks upon one another; trum- 
peters blew lustily upon their tin whistles, and court 
jesters shook cap and bells. Lemonade and cake were 
the refreshments provided in true picnic style, served 
in wooden plates and tin cups, and with paper nap- 
kins — the lady moon lending her serenest rays to the 
whole proceeding. 



120 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 



A DICKER PARTY 

Given a good-sized party of friendly and fun- 
loving young men and women, no more amusing 
entertainment than a dicker party can be imagined. 
The word goes forth that Miss Smith hopes to see her 
friends on a certain evening, each to bring a num- 
ber of articles with which they are willing to part. 
These are carried about, well displayed by their re- 
spective owners, a sentimental as well as intrinsic 
value placed upon some of the articles to promote con- 
versation. ** What have you that I want? " says 
Mr. Brown, meeting Mr. Smith, who is decorated 
with a bunch of striped, dotted, plaid, and plain neck- 
ties of every hue. * ' That depends upon whether you 
have anything that I'll take,'* retorts Mr. Smith. In 
this way each one examines the other's merchandise, 
and '* dickers," if pleased, a certain article often be- 
coming successively the property of every person in 
the room. 

A SWAP PARTY 

A swap party also affords no end of fun, with little 
trouble to the hostess. Every guest brings four or 
five neatly wrapped and tied bundles, or packages, 
the more misleading in shape the better. Each per- 
son recommends his or her own bundles, describing 
the contents as wittily and far from the truth as pos- 
sible. Much shrewd bargaining takes place, the 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 121 

packages changing hands several times. When 
opened, soap, starch, tea, books, cast-off clothing, etc., 
are found within. The one making the best bargain 
wins the prize ; the one making the poorest must sug- 
gest another game, such as Dumb Crambo, in which 
half the company leave the room, the others choosing 
a word for them to guess in pantomime upon their 
return. When they reappear, a word rhyming with 
the one chosen is told them as a hint ; for instance, if 
*' mine " is the word chosen, ** line '' is the word 
given the guessers. They guess ** dine," *' vine." 
Young men on all fours enact the first word, sitting 
at a table pretending to eat; for the second, a young 
lady clings tenderly to the arm of a young man. 
* ' No, no ! " the others cry. Then nine young women 
enter, enacting the muses; at last young men, with 
imaginary pickaxes and shovels, pretend to ** mine." 
Then the other party leave the room to return as 
** the guessers " and '^ performers." Simple words 
should always be chosen for this play, unless the 
actors therein are unusually gifted. 

HALLOWE'EN 

Of all the informal festival occasions of the year, 
none are so merry and unconstrained as Allhallow 
Eve, or the eve of All Saints* Day. On this night, 
according to time-honored legends, fairies dance, 
witches ride, and ghosts walk. It is a night when 
charms read truly and future events are dimly 



122 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

shadowed forth. The practice of lighting bonfires 
on the 31st of October is a relic of the Druids, who 
annually rekindled their altar fires on that night. 

For a future party, decorate the rooms with corn- 
stalks, red and yellow ears of corn, pumpkin lan- 
terns, bimches of wheat or other grains, bowls of 
apples, oranges, and nuts. Have ready for each guest 
half a walnut shell in which is fastened a small 
candle, or a taper made of melted beeswax and heavy 
cotton string. In a tub of water, representing the 
sea of life, these little craft are launched. If a taper 
burns steadily out without mishap, it augurs well for 
the owner; if it floats alongside another for a con- 
siderable time, the lives of the owners will be much 
intertwined; if it bumps another, a quarrel will 
ensue; if it sticks close to the sides of the tub, the 
owner will never see foreign parts, and so on. The 
hostess, as oracle, knowing or suspecting the predilec- 
tions one for another of her guests, can help on the 
tide of courtship, or interpret the movements of the 
boats as absurdly as she wills. 

For a fishing party, invite the masculine guests 
to bring their fishing tackle. They will respond with 
an elaborate outfit, probably, materially adding to 
the fun. For the ladies, rods have been provided, 
with ribbons of various colors for lines, to which are 
attached rather blunt-pointed hooks. In one corner 
of the room, behind a tall screen, decorated appro- 
priately, sits the hostess, innumerable small articles 
in a basket beside her. A young man casts his line 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 12^ 

over the screen, asking Fate to direct his hook in 
catching something indicative of his future state. 
Fate — the hostess — recognizes the voice, and affixes 
to the hook a simpering bisque doll, indicating a 
frivolous wife for him; another fishes up a sock in 
bad need of darning, indicating bachelorhood; an- 
other a picture of Mr. Henpeck cut out of a comic 
paper, and so on. One girl catches a thimble, sug- 
gestive of spinsterhood ; another a tea cozy, or black 
cat; another a purse with naught but a rose in it, 
promising love and poverty ; another with literary as- 
pirations, a wreath of green leaves. 

HUNT FOR FORTUNE 

Another Halloween party may be entitled a hunt 
for fortune. The guests are invited to appear in 
ghostly attire, which means sheets and pillow cases, 
white gloves and white masks, each carrying a 
hideous jack-o'-lantern in his hand. As they arrive, 
the hostess, enjoining silence, motions them to the 
parlor, where they must endeavor, without speech, to 
discover each other's identity. When one has been 
discovered he must unmask. After unmasking, the 
names of the girls are placed in a hat, the boys draw, 
and thus they find partners for the evening. Now 
begins the hunt. Here and there about the room 
knots of red and yellow ribbon are visible, to which 
two threads are attached; couples follow these 
threads, upstairs, downstairs, everywhere, each com- 



IM THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

ing at last to a scroll, those for the boys tied with red 
ribbon, those for the girls with yellow. Then they 
reassemble, and the fortunes of each hunter and his 
partner are read aloud. 

This may be followed by bite the apple, which 
never fails to create great fun. For this, a stick two 
feet in length is suspended horizontally from the 
ceiling, an apple stuck on one end and a small bag 
of sand or flour on the other. The string is twisted 
so that the stick revolves rapidly, and the boys and 
girls, with hands tied behind them, take turns in 
running up and trying for a bite of the apple, se- 
curing more blows from the bag than bites of the 
apple. 

Other tests familiar to Allhallow Eve observers are 
the three saucers, one containing pure water, one 
soapy water, and the other empty. Blindfolded, a 
young man is led up to these and told to dip his 
hand into one. If he touches the clear water, he will 
marry a young girl; if the soapy, a widow; if the 
empty, he will not marry at all. 

For the hickory nut test two nuts are placed be- 
fore an open fire, one named for the girl who makes 
the test, the other for the lad she admires. If the nut 
named for her chosen one jumps toward her own, he 
will propose before the year is out; if it burns 
brightly, the marriage will be a happy one. 

Then there is the mirror test, in which the love- 
lorn maiden goes down the cellar steps backward, 
mirror in hand, hoping to see her future lord's face 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 125 

reflected in the glass; and the apple-paring test, too 
well known to need description. 

Bobbing for apples is also old, but great fun. 
Bring in a big washtub, half full of water, and set 
it on the floor, preferably the kitchen floor, where the 
best Hallowe'en sports should be; provide gingham 
aprons for the guests to tie around their necks, and 
bid them kneel around the tub. Then launch a num- 
ber of rosy apples, one for each guest, with the 
guest's initials carved in the skin. Let three bob at 
a time — ^three girls or three boys — and their efforts to 
catch with their mouths (their hands must be tied) 
the apples bearing the initials they like best will re- 
sult in hilarious fun. 

Another amusement may be provided by filling a 
bowl that holds about a quart with flour. Put it in 
loosely at first, and drop a heavy gold ring in with 
it; then pack the flour in as tight as possible and 
turn it out, molded, onto a plate. The guests form 
a ring around this plate on the table, and one by one 
approach the flour mold, and carefully cut with a 
dinner knife a slice from it. The one who touches 
the ring in cutting, however lightly, will knock the 
mold to pieces, and he must stoop over, his hands 
behind him, and extract the ring with his teeth. 



126 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

CHRISTMAS 

Christinas Day was for many centuries kept as a 
holy day, and what we ordinarily call the ' ' holiday ' ' 
phase of it was observed on January 6th, or Twelfth 
Night, the anniversary of the three kings' arrival 
bringing royal gifts to the Child. Later, religious 
observance began to be confined to the morning serv- 
ice on Christmas Day, and merrymaking to mark 
the afternoon and evening. Roman saturnalia, 
Druidical rites, German folklore, all have contrib- 
uted, along with the Gospel narrative, to our present- 
day Christmas observances. 

An interesting thing to do when one has a house- 
ful of young people to entertain is to separate the 
hodgepodge of Christmas customs into distinct na- 
tional ceremonials, and have an Old English Christ- 
mas, a Moravian Christmas, a German Christmas, etc. 

On one occasion, when an old-time English Christ- 
mas was revived, the meyiu cards at dinner were 
printed in Old English text and surmounted by a 
paper doll dressed in mediaeval English costume, the 
head a photograph or drawing of the guest whose 
place is designated. Wax tapers, in candlesticks of 
brass, iron, and pewter, lent additional beauty to the 
highly polished table, whereon a huge boar's head, 
made of dough, rested on a platter in the center. 
This was presently lifted, disclosing a little pig 
roasted to a turn, the traditional apple in his mouth ; 
a turkey, masquerading as ye royal bird, graced 



FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 127 

one end of the board. The huge wassail cup was 
passed around and partaken of by all, though it con- 
tained something far milder than the brew or ale, 
or steaming punch. A plum pudding two years old 
and a huge mince pie wound up the feast. After 
dinner the guests repaired to the parlor, where 
mistletoe hung from unexpected places, and while a 
Yule log, brought in with much ceremony, fur- 
nished, with the candles, the only light, a company 
of mummers entered for their entertainment. These 
may costume in any ancient way, represent any char- 
acter suitable to the occasion, and do any " stunts " 
of which they are capable. They may adhere closely 
to the stately spirit of the old times, or may combine 
grand impersonations with nonsensical acts; for in- 
stance. Sir Roger de Coverley may lead in the dance 
bearing his name, or he and a girl costumed in white 
robes and holly may do a cake walk, or other ob- 
viously grotesque thing, for the amusement of the 
party. The singing of old Christmas carols and a 
dance wind up the evening. 

A German Christmas, with its pretty customs, is 
the proper environment for Santa Claus, the Yule 
log, the Christmas tree, and many other observances 
which have been so long borrowed from the Germans 
that it is sometimes hard to trace their origin. The 
Moravians (a religious sect, of whom many are found 
in Pennsylvania) have a little corner of each house 
devoted at Christmas to a diminutive representation 
of the Nativity, with rocks and trees of Palestine, the 



128 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

khan at Bethlehem, the manger, sheep, shepherds, 
et al. Households vie pleasantly with each other over 
the completeness of their representation, and when a 
new feature is added to it, the delight is the same 
as other households know when new ornaments are 
discerned among the familiar trinkets on the Christ- 
mas tree. 



CHAPTER VI 



WEDDINGS 



A WEDDING is always, supposedly, an occasion 
of pure bliss to somebody — rather, to two 
somebodies — but it is also, in almost any 
event, an occasion of much, work and responsibility 
and expense to somebody else. A girl who is about 
to be married is usually concerned that her wedding 
shall go on record as the prettiest or most unique or 
most costly wedding in the annals of her social set. 
Frequently her mother has the same concern, either 
through sympathy with the girl's desires or from am- 
bitious desires of her own. It is doubtful if the father 
of the prospective bride ever looks with favor on the 
plans for a big wedding ; for, even if he does not have 
to consider the question of expense (and there are 
few men exempt from this) , he is probably masculine 
enough to dislike the part he will have to play in a 
church spectacle and the reception following, and to 
anticipate with lively dread the period of turmoil in 
his household which must precede the event. Nor are 
the majority of bridegrooms amiably disposed toward 
large weddings, but many of them find acquiescence 
the only gracious part, and lend themselves uncom- 

129 



150 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

plainingly to a round of formalities for which they 
have a greater or less distaste. 

All questions of expense aside, it is difficult to 
refrain from saying that a big wedding is usually 
and almost of necessity in bad taste. There are a 
hundred things about such a wedding that make per- 
sons of delicate sensibilities and idyllic frame of 
mind shrink from the gaudy publicity with positive 
horror. But it is all a matter of taste, and persons 
who wish to make a wedding an occasion for display 
can always find plenty of influential precedent. 

A church wedding should never be undertaken 
unless there is some one in the bride's family with a 
genius for details and a capacity for unlimited hard 
work and responsibility. Also it is seldom wise to 
undertake one when the cost has to be counted very 
carefully, for those who have ** been through " the 
management of a big church wedding will testify 
that one such always costs a great deal more than 
the uninitiated dream at the outset. 

The groom fees the clergyman, provides the brides- 
maids ' bouquets, gives his ushers and best man their 
gloves, ties, buttonhole flowers, and some souvenir 
like a scarf pin or cuff links or silver matchcase; he 
also pays for the carriage that takes the bride and 
himself away from her father's house after the wed- 
ding. All other expenses are met by the father or 
other guardian of the bride. In the case of a church 
wedding one must figure on a big livery bill, for 
carriages must be sent for all the bridesmaids, ushers, 



WEDDINGS 131 

and other participants in the ceremony, for the 
clergyman, and usually for the musicians, if there 
are singers, like a quartet, to sing the wedding hymn. 
Carriages for all members of the household, even to 
the servants, are provided; and right here it may be 
well to remark that in families where the gracious 
spirit proclaims the true gentility, care is always 
taken that faithful servants, no matter how humbly 
employed, shall be given every possible opportunity 
to share in the joy of the occasion. 

Next to carriage hire as an item of cost, or greater 
than it, if the taste for display be strong, will be the 
matter of church decoration. In the spring, sum- 
mer, and fall this can sometimes be accomplished at 
small expense of money, though always at great ex- 
pense of time and labor. In winter there is little that 
can be done except to hire a florist to decorate with 
palms and hothouse blooms. Call on several good 
florists and ask them to go to the church, look it 
over, and make you an estimate on the cost of dec- 
orating it. Their charge for rental of palms is 
usually based on what they call " a load,'' and they 
may tell you that they can make a fair though some- 
what skimpy showing with two loads, and a hand- 
some showing with four, leaving you to choose which 
your purse and your pride will allow. 

After a day has been settled on to the satisfaction 

of the contracting parties, be sure to ascertain if the 

clergyman desired may be had on that day; also to 

ask permission to use the church then, and to make 
10 



132 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

arrangements with organist and singers, if there are 
to be any. Also, it is well to hold early consultations 
with one's caterer and liveryman before fixing on a 
date which may be so engaged with one or both of 
these important functionaries that strange service 
will have to be fallen back upon — always an annoying 
necessity, which trebles the possibility of mischance. 
An important person easy to forget, but very essen- 
tial when the great day comes, is the church janitor, 
who must have the church cleaned and warmed and 
lighted, and be on hand to let decorators in, and to 
open up the church for rehearsal, etc. He will ex- 
pect a good fee for his services. 

Other items of expense entailed by a church wed- 
ding are: Several bolts of wide white satin ribbon 
for marking off the pews reserved for relatives, and 
for stretching down the aisles in advance of the 
bridal procession; some fifty or more yards of white 
duck or heavy muslin to stretch down the aisles 
whereon the bridal party will walk, as protection for 
the delicate, trailing dresses; an awning, which may, 
if need be, be arranged for to be put up only in case 
of inclement weather, and a strip of carpet for the 
sidewalk and church steps. Provision should also 
be made for a woman to attend the bride and her 
maids in the anteroom off the vestibule, or wherever 
they remove their wraps and preen their plumage for 
the processional. It may or may not be necessary to 
send to the church a mirror, pins, and other little 
necessaries. 



WEDDINGS 133 

Now about invitations: It is a pity to leave out 
anyone who should be asked, and it is a pity (which 
some participants in church weddings do not seem 
to appreciate) to ask, for the sake of having a crowd, 
people who are surprised into thinking, " I wonder 
how they came to invite me? " The wise bride with 
a big wedding in prospect will set early about the 
preparation of her invitation lists, and see that her 
fiance does the same. Her father's and her mother's 
friends, and his father's and mother's, should be in- 
cluded as well as hers and his; and when the lists 
have been compared and revised and made as com- 
plete as possible, the names should be copied into a 
book with some system of ready reference; alphabet- 
ically arranged is best. This book may be a hand- 
some one, bound in white vellum, or, more practical, 
in sealskin or russia leather, presented to the bride 
by a member of her family or one of her friends. As 
the gifts begin to come in some one specially ap- 
pointed to the task should enter opposite the name 
of the donor a description of the gift; the list thus 
made will greatly facilitate the bride's labor of 
acknowledging her gifts, and will, too, prove inter- 
esting to her in the years to come. Some brides put 
in the same book their photographs in their wed- 
ding gown, their maids' photographs in their gowns 
worn at the wedding, pieces of this and that from 
the trousseau, and other reminiscent treasures. 

When the church list has been approved, the next 
thing is to determine how many persons can be com- 



134 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

fortably accommodated at the reception and supper, 
or luncheon, or breakfast, as the case may be. Crowd- 
ing is positively fatal to enjoyment, and it is better 
to give a reasonable number of persons a pleasant 
time, than to give an unreasonable number of persons 
an unpleasant time in crowded rooms, where they get 
their best clothes torn and their feet trampled, and 
stand in constant terror of being deluged with coffee 
or melted ice cream. Allow for about one-fourth to 
one-third as many regrets as acceptances to the house 
invitation, but base orders to the caterer on more 
nearly the whole number invited, as nothing could 
be more embarrassing than to run short of provisions. 
It is not always possible to have the limited number 
of persons asked to the reception exactly those whom 
the bride and groom would prefer. Relatives expect 
to take precedence over friends, however intimate, 
and fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers of the 
bridal attendants must not be slighted, even though 
they are not very well known by the bride and groom 
or very particularly desired. 

Invitations to formal weddings are now sent out 
from eighteen days to three weeks in advance of the 
event. They are engraved, always, and the Old 
English lettering is now in favor, though script is 
always in good form. Any good stationer will 
supply up-to-date information on all details relating 
to the wording and appearance of the invitation. 
The usual form is somewhat as follows : 



WEDDINGS 135 

MR. AND MRS. CHARLES NEWTON CUNNINGHAM 

request the honor of your presence 
at the marriage of their daughter 

Evelyn 

TO 

Mr. Richard Hargreaves Fuller, 
ON Thursday afternoon, October eighth, 

AT FOUR o'clock, 

St, Stephen's Church, 
Madison Avenue and Seventeenth Street. 

Some invitations, instead of " your presence,'' have 
a blank line preceding presence whereon is written 
the name of the invited guest, thus : 

MR. and MRS. CHARLES NEWTON CUNNINGHAM 

request the honor OF 
Mrs. Elizabeth Allen White's presence 

AT THE MARRIAGE OF THEIR DAUGHTER, etc. 

To bar out the merely curious, who are always to be 
found in considerable numbers at church weddings, 
it is best to inclose with the invitation a small card 
reading : 

Please present this card at St. Stephen's Church. 

Cards for the reception read: 

Reception from half-past four till seven, 
2545 Madison Avenue. 

These are, of course, inclosed only in the invitations 
of those who are asked to the house. 

At Home cards frequently accompany the wedding 



136 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

invitations, but unless expense is a serious item they 
are better sent out later; they go very generally to 
all persons on the visiting lists of both families. 

Unless an answer is specially requested, wedding 
invitations do not require an answer, but for further 
consideration of this subject see Chapter XV. 

Old-fashioned etiquette prescribed that a bride 
should be invisible by the public after her wedding 
invitations were sent out; but the exact reverse of 
this is now in vogue, and the days immediately pre- 
ceding her marriage are apt to be the gayest in a 
girl 's life. This is not good sense, nor altogether good 
taste, but it prevails so universally that one must 
bow to it as the fashion. Luncheons and teas and 
dinners and theater parties and '' showers " of vari- 
ous kinds are tendered the bride by her maids and 
by the ushers, as well as by relatives and others. At 
these she displays her trousseau finery, often in sharp 
contrast to the shabbiness which has marked her 
attire in the stress of '^ getting ready." Why a girl 
should slouch and save through the golden, glorious 
days of her courtship, that she may '' blossom out " 
just prior to her wedding, is one of the mysteries of 
the girl mind. Another mystery is her tendency to 
seclusion with her lover during this shabby period, 
and her willingness to see almost nothing of him 
save in gay company during those days when their 
marriage is approaching and she is parading her new 
clothes instead of contemplating her wonderful new 
estate. 



WEDDINGS 137 

But we write to inform, not to reform. 

The number of bridesmaids chosen for a church 
wedding rarely exceeds eight; six maids and a maid 
and matron of honor make a large and showy fol- 
lowing. They may dress as the fancy of the bride 
dictates, only no low-cut gowns are permissible in 
daytime, nor are they ever considered the best form 
for bridal attendants. A bride never, in any circum- 
stances, wears a low-necked or short-sleeved gown, 
such being considered the most flagrant lack of ap- 
preciation of that virginal modesty which is the girl 
bride's tenderest charm. 

The time set for the ceremony makes no difference 
in the bride's attire, but, in the case of her maids, 
hats are worn in the daytime, and short tulle veils 
or wreaths of flowers in the hair are preferred when 
the wedding is in the evening. 

At a formal wedding, the bride, unless she has 
been married before (in which case a formal wedding 
is not in the best taste), always wears white, and al- 
most always the bridal veil, which she may wear only 
this one time in all her life. Some brides choose 
gowns that they can wear out and ^ ' get the good of ' ' 
in the honeymoon year, while others love to lay away 
the bridal flnery to preserve it as a precious memento 
for the coming years. Taste, sentiment, and consid- 
erations of expense enter into the bride's choice of 
her gown, but one thing is important : if it is simple, 
the maids' gowns should not be costly or elaborate. 
It is the bride 's day, the time of her life when no one 



138 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

should vie with her; her maids should look lovely, 
but she should look preeminently loveliest; it is her 
right. Conversely, if she be able to afford costly 
finery for herself, she should have a care how she 
exacts expenditure from the girl friends she has 
chosen to walk with her to the altar. She wants 
them to look their prettiest, but she must be delicately 
considerate of their abilities when imposing on them 
the cost of the new gowns which, in their harmony 
or uniformity, are to make the pleasing picture of her 
wedding party. Becomingness to the wearers, as well 
as decorativeness in the general scheme of things, 
should also be considered in deciding on the brides- 
maids ' gowns. Full many a short, fat bridesmaid has 
muttered maledictions all the way down the aisle to 
the altar, knowing she looked like a tub in her 
** three-tier " skirt, and like a jaundice sufferer in 
her Nile-green hat — both chosen with reference to 
two other maids, who were tall and willowy and had 
exquisite pink coloring. 

One of the distressful things about a big wedding 
is, that where so much is attempted there are bound 
to be heartburnings and abundant dissatisfaction. 
But a bride must refuse to feel the jarring hurt of 
these, if she wants to be married in * * grand style. ' ' 

Usually each of the maids gives some kind of en- 
tertainment in honor of the bride and the other 
maids. Teas, luncheons, matinee parties, and the 
popular but somewhat vulgar " shower " are the fa- 
vorite forms. A bride's luncheon can be made one 



WEDDINGS 139 

of the prettiest functions imaginable, with ingenuity 
in the matter of favors and decorations. 

The ushers frequently combine to give the bride 
and groom and the bridesmaids a handsome dinner at 
some fashionable hotel or cafe, followed by a box 
party at the theater. The cost of such an evening 
could scarcely come below a hundred dollars, and 
would probably be much more, and his proportionate 
share of it, added to the cost of a gift and the other 
possible expenses of the gala week of the wedding, 
is enough to make the honor of attending a friend 
to the altar quite anxiously expensive for the young 
man of modest means. 

Sometimes the best man tenders a separate enter- 
tainment, sometimes he cooperates with the ushers. 
The groom usually gives a farewell bachelor dinner 
to his attendants on some evening shortly before the 
wedding. Another function rarely omitted is the 
entertainment by the bride's parents of the entire 
bridal party at dinner, a dance, or some other affair 
— frequently an elaborate supper following a re- 
hearsal at the church. 

The day of the wedding is always unmarked by any 
other event, and the bride keeps as quiet as the pres- 
ence of a houseful of guests, the frequent arrival of 
belated gifts, and the bustle and confusion of florists 
and caterers will allow. 

With regard to out-of-town guests, it may be well 
to say that if they have been specially asked to serve 
in the wedding party or to be present as intimate 



140 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

friends, without whom the wedding would seem in- 
complete, detailed arrangements for their entertain- 
ment must be made. If it is impossible to house them 
all in the bride's home, and the expense of chartering 
for their accommodation some desirable portion of a 
hotel is not to be considered, then intimate friends 
who live close by must be called upon. Resident 
bridesmaids will usually volunteer to entertain those 
coming from a distance, and relatives will open up 
their homes for other relatives. But all this must not 
be trusted to chance, but carefully arranged to the 
least detail of who is to meet arriving guests, and 
how their trunks are to be got to them with the least 
delay; also, care must be taken to see that special 
guests from out of town get, immediately on their 
arrival, if not before, invitations to all large func- 
tions given for the bride in the days immediately 
preceding the wedding. If the maid of honor, for 
instance, is giving a lawn fete for a June bride on 
the day but one before the marriage, it must be 
some one's specific duty to see that the aunt and 
cousin of the groom, who have but that morning ar- 
rived from a distant city, are given a special invita- 
tion, and that some one calls for them to escort them, 
unless they are staying in the house of people 
who are themselves going to attend. It is a great 
compliment to bride or groom or their parents, or all, 
to go a considerable distance to attend a wedding — a 
great compliment and almost always a great expense 
— and every possible appreciation of it should be 



WEDDINGS 141 

shown by those complimented. The completeness 
with which the hosts (that is, the parents of the 
bride) are able to minimize the effort of their guests 
on an occasion of this sort is one of the best tests 
both of instinctive graciousness and of social success. 
In the case of a suburban wedding, if special trains 
cannot be chartered, then engraved cards must be in- 
closed with invitations to townsfolk, stating when the 
train most timely for the wedding will leave such 
and such a station, and at what hours trains may be 
had by those returning. Also, carriages, 'buses, or 
some kind of conveyances should be provided to con- 
vey guests from the station to the house and back 
again. When a woman guest likes you well enough 
to take her smartest and most delicate finery into a 
dirty suburban railway car in order to do honor to 
your wedding, it is as little as you can do for her 
comfort to see that she has clean conveyance from 
the car to your house and return. A guest who has 
failed to find a depot hack, and has trailed her 
** wedding best " through a half mile of dusty road 
to see your daughter married, is not in any frame of 
mind to lend joyous sympathy to the occasion. 

A word about the display of presents. Brides 
with the best taste make no display at all, save, per- 
haps, to a few very intimate friends. In no case, how- 
ever, must the cards of the donors be left on, this 
being very properly considered to be the height of 
vulgarity. As a matter of fact, the practice of wed- 
ding presents as now in force is vulgar enough at 



142 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

best, and brides of delicate sensibility shrink from the 
thought of receiving perfunctory gifts from persons 
who have no tender interest in the home they are to 
adorn. Far, far too many people choose wedding 
presents under a fancied compulsion, and with but 
one desire — ^to get the showiest thing possible for the 
least outlay of money. One often hears of young 
women in modest circumstances getting thirty cut- 
glass bowls and eighteen berry spoons, one or two 
of each being all they can use, and the others being 
returned to the shops whence they came in exchange 
for something needed, or given (if unmarked) to 
other brides, or packed away in barrels to save the 
trouble of caring for them. A gift representing no 
more thought, no more concern for the recipient's 
probable desires, is but one remove from an insult, 
and should be so considered. In a golden millennial 
day to come (perhaps!) no one will give a bride a 
present unless he is well enough acquainted with her 
to make an affectionately shrewd guess as to what 
she will want, and well enough disposed toward her 
to beg her to change it if there's anything she would 
like better. This latter course may not be the very 
poetry of gift-giving, but it has been known to in- 
spire great gratitude in many a poor bride distressed 
to the point of tears over an ill assortment of un- 
necessaries. Until that golden day dawn it is wise 
to observe one or two simple kindnesses toward a 
bride: Never have silver marked, but always sug- 
gest, on the accompanying card or otherwise, that 



WEDDINGS 143 

provision has been made for her to have it marked 
should she care to do so; and try to effect some ar- 
rangement with the shopkeeper from whom you buy 
whereby he engages to exchange your '' venture " 
for something of equal value, on request of the re- 
cipient; then, by sending the present direct from the 
shop, so that its source shall be known, and by drop- 
ping a gentle, sympathetic, ^* I-understand-perfectly- 
your-predicament ' ' sort of hint, you will be fervently 
blessed and your considerateness long remem- 
bered. If the gifts are displayed, they should be ar- 
ranged as tastefully as possible in a room near those 
employed as cloakrooms, and there should be some 
one to watch them and guard against not only a prob- 
able sneak thief among the throng of people, not all 
of whom (it is safe to say) will be known by sight-to 
any one member of the household, but a possible in- 
vasion of the room from without while it is tem- 
porarily empty. Thieves always keep close watch of 
the papers with reference to wedding presents, and 
at no time should any considerable display of them 
be left unguarded. 

On the wedding day the bride should do nothing 
that she can possibly avoid, but husband her strength 
(sadly drained, no doubt, by trousseau preparations 
and antenuptial festivities) for that hour of her life 
when she desires to look, all other hours above, her 
very, very best. If she has planned carefully and 
been diligent in execution, and, above all, if her wed- 
ding is in charge of a capable manager, she will 



144 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

have nothing to fret her as the day dawns, except the 
inevitable worry about the weather, and the always 
present possibility that the best man's grandmother 
may have died in the night, or the maid of honor may 
have developed an ulcerated tooth. In big wedding 
parties involving sixteen or eighteen persons, changes 
and quick shifts are more than likely to become nec- 
essary at the eleventh hour; but that is one of the 
things no man can help, and one of the chances the 
bride must take. A chance she will not willingly 
take, however, is that some delinquent maid will not 
have her gown done in time, or that her own veil or 
gloves, or some necessity shall be undelivered, because 
purchased at the last moment, or the like. 

The last stitch should have been put into her trous- 
seau and wedding clothes long since; everything 
needful should have been listed, and the list com- 
pared with the articles as they were acquired, until 
she was sure nothing was lacking. Every item of her 
traveling attire, from stockings and shoes to hat and 
veil and gloves, should be gathered together in the 
room where she will dress after the reception, and 
her trunk should be at the depot, and, if possible, her 
hand satchel, all packed, in the possession of her 
mother or of the groom, out of reach of those hide- 
ously underbred persons, some of whom are usually 
to be found at even the most refined weddings, who 
seek to satisfy a rowdyish love of horseplay by plan- 
ning annoyances for the wedded pair. The tender 
sacredness of married lovers' first journey into the 



WEDDINGS 145 

world together ought to call forth nothing but that 
reverence in which we stand aloof from joys we can- 
not share, and all right-minded friends will lend 
hearty aid in protecting the newly married from 
vulgar jocularity. 

While the bride is resting in her room, the caterer 
is in charge of the kitchen, the florist of the dining 
room and parlors, and some member of the household 
is watchfully overseeing both. At the church, the 
decorator has arrived, and some one is supervising 
his arrangements of palms and plants and cut blooms. 
The ribbons are there, the rolls of white covering to 
be laid down the main aisles the last thing, when the 
florist is through, and in the room off the vestibule 
where the final touches will be given to the bridal 
finery, mirror and pins and powder puffs and needle 
and white thread and other et ceteras are laid ready 
to the hurried hand. Lists of the guests* names have 
been provided for the ushers, with some special desig- 
nation for those who are to occupy the front pews — 
relatives and intimate friends of the bride on the 
left, those of the groom on the right. Bunches of 
white flowers or bows of white ribbon may be tied at 
the entrance to those pews reserved for the imme- 
diate family and close friends. 

The organist plays, and sometimes the choir sings, 
while the guests are assembling, the music being very 
soft. The mother of the bride enters almost at the 
last minute, and is given the seat of honor in the 
front pew, immediately behind the bride. There is 



146 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

a lull, an expectant hush, while the organist waits the 
signal (brought him by word of mouth, rung by 
electric bell, or seen in the mirror over the keyboard) 
for the first strains of the wedding march — usually 
the time-honored '' Lohengrin '* for the antenuptial 
march, and the joyous pealing of the no less time- 
honored Mendelssohn's *^ Wedding March '' for the 
postnuptial procession. 

At the very first strains of the wedding march, the 
clergyman starts at a slow, dignified pace, from 
the vestry or other pulpit room, toward the altar, the 
groom and his best man following at a distance of 
twenty feet or so. Simultaneously, the ushers start 
down the aisle of entry (that to the left of the main 
body of pews is best), walking two-and-two and 
about a dozen paces apart. The bridesmaids, also 
walking in couples, follow them — ^though sometimes 
the latter enter from some other direction and form, 
in double line, halfway up the entrance aisle, for the 
bride to pass between them, then closing in behind 
her as she approaches the altar. The more ordinary 
way, however, is for them to follow the ushers. Be- 
hind them, walking alone, comes the maid of honor, 
and after her the bride, leaning on the arm of her 
father or whoever is to give her away. 

As the ushers reach the space in which the bridal 
party is to stand, they take their allotted stations at 
the outer edge of the formation agreed upon. The 
maids either follow them into place, or ** line up *' 
at the end of the aisle to allow the bride to pass 



WEDDINGS 147 

between them. As the bride draws near, the groom, 
who has had the shorter distance to cover and must 
needs have stood facing the congregation for several 
interminable minutes during the slow processional, 
steps forward and receives the right hand of his 
bride from that of her father or other guardian. He 
leads her close to the altar, their attendants fall into 
place behind and around them, and the service be- 
gins. The father of the bride merely bows his head 
in assent to the ** giving away," and steps back, tak- 
ing his place in the pew beside his wife. When the 
rings are exchanged, the maid of honor holds the 
bride's bouquet or prayer book and assists her with 
her glove (the wedding finger of which should have 
been slit to avoid a bungling wait). When the ex- 
change is effected the bouquet is returned to the 
bride, for whom her maid of honor need render no 
other service unless the veil has been worn over the 
face on entering the church; in this case the maid 
of honor throws it back before the recessional, or 
(better) unpins and removes the short length of tulle 
which has been used for a face veil, leaving only the 
sweeping lengths behind. 

The clergyman may offer brief congratulations on 
the conclusion of the ceremony, but does not kiss the 
bride. All other congratulations are reserved for the 
reception, although a bride who loves her mother bet- 
ter than she loves conventions will turn from the 
sealing of her vows to embrace the dear woman in 

the front pew, before taking her husband's arm for 
11 



148 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

the march up the aisle. The best man's sole service 
at the altar is to present the ring at the proper mo- 
ment. After the benediction is pronounced he offers 
his arm to the maid of honor, and they follow the 
bride and groom from the church. Afterwards, when 
some fitting opportunity can be made, he presents to 
the clergyman the groom's wedding fee. He has the 
license in his pocket, but that has been shown, to 
the clergyman's satisfaction, before they entered the 
church. Ushers and bridesmaids *' pair off " and 
follow the best man and maid of honor, the aisle of 
exit being usually the opposite one to the aisle of 
entrance. 

Immediately after the bridal party has left the 
church the mother and father of the bride proceed 
to their carriage, and hasten home to take their places 
for the reception of their guests. No one rises to 
leave until after they and the other relatives and in- 
timate friends have gone to their carriages. Then 
there is a general movement to go, but much lingering 
and ** visiting " usually ensues before anyone starts 
for the house, so that the bridal party has ample time 
to prepare itself for the reception. 

At the latter, the mother of the bride stands near- 
est the door by which the guests enter the drawing- 
room. Next to her is her husband, and next to him 
are the mother and father of the groom. Then come 
bride, groom, maid of honor, best man, maids and 
ushers. The guests then proceed down the line, salut- 
ing each in turn. Bride and groom and the bride's 



WEDDINGS 149 

parents must stand in their places until everyone has 
been received, but the bridal attendants may break 
ranks after a while and circulate about the rooms, 
assisting in any and every way they can the pleas- 
urable mingling of the guests and their satisfactory 
marshaling into the dining room. 

Bride and groom and their attendants enter the 
dining room first and are served. The parents of 
the groom and any other relatives whom the young 
couple wish specially to honor may be asked to go 
at the same time. After they have been served, the 
bride and groom retire to prepare for their journey, 
and their chief attendants may accompany them, the 
best man to aid the groom in any way he can, and the 
maid of honor to assist the bride. Other members 
of the party should help the hostess by seeing that 
congenial companies of people go out to the refresh- 
ment room together, and that the room is kept filled 
all the time. 

When the bride and groom come down to enter 
their carriage the bride stops at a good height above 
the heads of the guests, who have crowded into the 
hall to see her go, and throws her bouquet into the 
crowd. The girl who catches it will be the next bride, 
according to the pretty notion. 

As the couple leave the door, rice or confetti may 
be thrown after them, and an old shoe, for luck, may 
be aimed at the departing carriage. Rice is danger- 
ous, it should be remembered, and in the hands of 
excitable persons has been known to cause grave in- 



150 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

jury. More than one bride and groom have had 
grains of it lodge in their ears and cause excruciating 
suffering; arid however it may divert the bystanders, 
it certainly adds nothing to the pleasures of a honey- 
moon to shake rice from one's clothing at every step. 
Confetti answer every good-natured purpose and 
can do no possible harm. All efforts to tie white rib- 
bons on the carriage, or to follow it and continue the 
good-bys at the railway station, or anything of the 
sort, are ill-bred in the extreme, and mark a ** com- 
mon '' streak in those desirous of perpetrating such 
offenses. 

The destination of the married pair is usually kept 
secret from everyone except, perhaps, the mother of 
the bride. And right here it may be well to remark 
that all truly *' gentle " persons will neglect no least 
opportunity to show tender appreciation of what 
this occasion means to the woman whose daughter is 
being married. Few women get through this chap- 
ter in their heart's history without many anxious 
pangs, many wistful wonderings ; and evident appre- 
ciation of this fact bespeaks the lovely habit of mind 
whose efflorescence we call *' good breeding." 

As the guests leave the reception, they are handed 
little boxes containing each a slice of the *' groom's 
cake " (dark fruit cake) and of the " bride's cake " 
(delicate white cake), the bride having herself cut 
the first slice from her cake when she was served at 
supper, or whatever the wedding refreshment was 
called. 



WEDDINGS 151 

This, as nearly as it is possible to comprehend the 
infinitely detailed subject in the space at our com- 
mand, is a generalization of the procedure in a for- 
mal church wedding. 

But a wedding may be in a church and not be 
formal. Some of the loveliest weddings ever held 
have been church weddings, conducted with all so- 
lemnity, as every wedding should be, but without 
display, without the presence of a crowd, and with- 
out the restrictions of the relentless social code. 

A country church wedding, in seasonable weather, 
is one of the prettiest any bride can have, and if she 
has many good friends the church may be trans- 
formed into a bower of beauty at small cost except 
that of loving labor. A marguerite wedding in June, 
or a snowball or peony wedding in the same month, 
a white lilac or " bridal- wreath " wedding late in 
May, a golden-rod wedding in September, these are 
some of the possibilities for those who live where 
flowers are to be had for the picking. There are lo- 
calities in the South where a bride might be married 
in a bower of maidenhair fern, at the small cost of 
hiring pickaninnies to '' tote " it, and get an effect 
as elegant as a city bride in the North would have to 
pay fifty dollars for. Writing for the country at 
large, for village and metropolis alike, for persons 
who must reckon every nickel, and for others who 
can order a florist to do his best and need not fret 
about the bill, it is impossible to specialize. 

But every prospective bride knows the resources 



152 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

of her own locality at any given time of year, and 
as personal taste always counts for more with people 
of real refinement than any extent of carte hlanche 
given to tradesmen, the bride who will, can have a 
wedding that will leave its memory of charm and 
pleasurableness to a day when nothing but the evi- 
dent strain of the formal wedding remains in the 
minds of those who attended. 

If it is to be in a church, a wedding must always 
involve the matter of conveyance, for even on the 
rarest day in June a bride would scarcely wish to 
walk, or ask her maids to walk, to the church and 
home again. For one thing, the publicity would be 
most distasteful, and it could hardly be avoided un- 
less all appearance of wedding finery were lacking 
and all knowledge of the event were kept from those 
not asked to participate. ''A poetic-minded bride who 
was willing to relinquish bridal veil and other acces- 
sories, might ask a score of those she loves best to 
meet her at an appointed time in a church dear to 
her. An hour or more before sunset is the prettiest 
time, when the low light is slanting in through richly 
stained windows. If it be at a time of year when 
birds are twittering their evensong in the boughs out- 
side, there could be no wedding chorus so exquisite. 
And the lovely quiet of the church, the absence of 
the gaping throng, and the presence of only those 
whose hearts are full of tenderness, will seem far, 
far more fitting for the plighting of sacred vows than 
any other circumstances could possibly be. The bride 



WEDDINGS 153 

might wear dainty summer white, if she came on 
foot, and a pretty hat, which she could remove or 
not. If she rides in a carriage, she may be as 
^' bridey " as she likes. She may have her sister or 
her dearest girlhood friend stand beside her at the 
sweetly solemn moment, and close at hand, ready to 
gather her into the embrace of rejoicing love, may 
be those who, out of all the world, care most for her. 
Thus might a Tennyson wed his long-loved Emily 
Sellwood, or a Lowell enter into blissful union 
with beautiful Maria White, or splendid, vision- 
seeing Hawthorne swear to love and cherish Sophia 
Peabody. ♦- 

Once upon a time a church wedding was made ex- 
ceedingly beautiful at an expense of about one dollar 
for decorations. The bride elect was a girl who was 
greatly beloved in the small town in which her father 
was rector of the Episcopal church. Wishing to show 
their devotion to both father and daughter, a bevy 
of young girls, under the leadership of one of the 
youngest matrons of the parish, planned a daisy wed- 
ding, and the day before the ceremony went forth 
into the fields and gathered tens of thousands of 
daisies, which were placed overnight in tubs of 
water. Some coarse wire netting was tacked up on 
the chancel walls and around the pulpit. During the 
evening this was stuck full of box twigs, and early 
the next morning a swarm of eager workers appeared 
and fingers flew apace. At eleven o'clock — an hour 
before the wedding — the church was a bower of 



154 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

daisies ; chancel and font and pulpit bloomed in white 
and gold; big bunches of daisies were tied to each 
pew down the center aisle, and ropes of daisies as 
gorgeous as Vassar's celebrated daisy chain served to 
divide the reserved pews from the rest of the church. 

Another bride who was married among flowers had 
her wedding in this wise: she lived in a lovely old 
Connecticut farmhouse, and being of an idyllic turn 
of mind, she decided to be married in the orchard, 
late in an afternoon of apple-blossom time. Artists 
and literary folk, and others who witnessed this beau- 
tiful event, declare they never saw anything in the 
way of a wedding that was half so charming. The 
bride was in fleecy white, and as she stood plighting 
her troth, the pale pink petals drifted down upon 
her bright head and bridal finery, and a feathered 
chorus sang praise to the Giver of all good and 
perfect gifts. 

A house wedding may be as elaborate as circum- 
stance allows, or as simple as quiet taste dictates. If 
expense gives no concern, the service may be said in 
a splendid bower of palms and ferns and smilax, the 
bridal couple kneeling on a white satin pillow, under 
a great bell of white violets or hyacinths, or a canopy 
of white lilac or wistaria. Sometimes a bridal party 
walks to such a bower through a floral lane, or, again, 
through an aisle made by big white cathedral tapers 
burning in tall candlesticks. 

A simple and less expensive way is for the happy 
pair, accompanied, much as at a formal church wed- 



WEDDINGS 155 

ding, by their attendants (preferably fewer in num- 
ber, however), to take up their station before a bank 
of palms or other floral decoration arranged in a bay 
window or about a mantelpiece. 

In a formal home wedding, the room where the 
ceremony is to be performed is kept clear until just 
before the ceremony, when the immediate family and 
near friends of the contracting parties take their 
proper vantage places, other guests crowding as near 
the scene as politeness permits. 

The line of march, headed by the clergyman, fol- 
lowed by the groom and his best man, is usually down 
the stairs and into the drawing-room. The ushers are 
rather in the line of supernumeraries, but they are 
often included in a home bridal party, though they 
may or may not appear in the bridal procession. 
Otherwise the course of procedure is much the same 
as at church, the main difference being that con- 
gratulations follow immediately on the benediction, 
the nearest relatives offering theirs first and the gen- 
erality following. 

Even in the simplest home wedding the bride 
would hardly mingle with the guests before the cere- 
mony, but would quietly take her place at a word 
from the clergyman or at the strains of the wedding 
march played on piano or parlor organ by some 
friend. 

At a wedding in a club or assembly rooms, or other 
hired place, the dictates governing a formal home 
wedding would be in force. 



CHAPTER VII 

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 

A morn all set aside from other days, 

To greet with mirth, and song, and praise. 

IN a certain sense a wedding anniversary may be 
looked upon as an ideal one, since it is to be 
presumed no couple, however long or shortly 
married, would care to celebrate an unhappy union; 
the impulse, therefore, that reaches out for the con- 
gratulations of friends on such occasions must spring, 
we should judge, from the hearts of a man and woman 
truly mated. 

Some unwritten law has dictated that certain fea- 
tures belong to each anniversary, as follows: 

First year Cotton wedding. 

Second year Paper. 

Third year Leather. 

Fifth year Wooden. 

Seventh year Woolen. 

Tenth year Tin. 

Twelfth year Silk and fine linen. 

Fifteenth year Crystal. 

Twentieth year China. 

Twenty-fifth year Silver. 

Thirtieth year Pearl. 

Fortieth year Ruby. 

Fiftieth year Golden. 

Seventy-fifth year Diamond. 

156 



WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 157 

Formal notes or cards of invitation to any of these 
anniversaries are alike in general form, as follows : 

1854 1904 

MR. AND MRS. JOHN BEAL BROWN, 

AT HOME 

Thursday Evening, November the First, 

FROM eight until ELEVEN o'CLOCK, 

Ninety Madison Avenue. 
Dora Vedder. John Beal Brown. 

Or the following may be preferred: 

1854 1904 

MR. AND MRS. JOHN BEAL BROWN, 

request the pleasure of your company 

At the Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of 

Their Wedding, 

at two o'clock. 

Dora Vedder. John Beal Brown. 

For a celebration imposing anything more than 
paper, wooden, tin, or leather trifles as presents, it 
is customary to write in the lower left-hand corner 
of the card, '^ No presents," or, ^' It is requested 
that no gifts be sent." It is certainly a gracious re- 
quest, but one that can be ignored, or followed, ac- 
cording to the will and means of the person invited. 
The gifts are exhibited, as upon the wedding day, 
though at a *' cotton," ^' tin," " wooden," and the 
like, the names of the donors are not removed from 
the gift, the selection of same or its home manufac- 
ture requiring more wit and ingenuity than dollars. 



158 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

Whenever possible, the bride should wear her 
wedding gown, or some part of it, at these anniver- 
saries, or a new one, say, fashioned after the same 
model. Dressed in the prevailing fashion of long 
ago, what memories would throng about the bride 
and groom of fifty years! What an object of in- 
terest would she not be for children, grandchildren, 
and friends! Not infrequently the bride and groom 
repeat their wedding journey, from that spirit of 
romance, probably, which lurks in the heart of every 
normal human being, even though the snows of many 
winters have gathered about his brows. 

At these anniversaries the order of entertainment 
differs in no way from other home parties where 
friends meet with simple hospitality and amusement, 
a genuine frolic often being arranged for paper, tin, 
cotton, and wood celebrations, the notes or cards of 
invitation suggesting the spirit of the affair. For 
a cotton wedding, a happy pair lately issued invita- 
tions for a little dinner, written with India ink upon 
pieces of French nainsook folded to resemble a sheet 
of note paper. Unique invitations upon square pieces 
of tin, chamois, wood, and silk are admissible for the 
other celebrations; also isinglass cards, glass and 
pearl beads, mica dust, etc., in devices symbolizing the 
particular occasion. Needless to say, cotton enters 
into all forms of decoration for the first anniversary, 
and as the material is inexpensive, yards and yards 
* of it can be used effectively, flowers, of course, lend- 
ing an artistic touch to the whole. 



WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 159 

Among other games, the following is peculiarly 
appropriate for a cotton wedding: Within the wind- 
ing of a large ball of cotton twine secrete a small 
souvenir for each guest. Gather them in a circle, or 
in close proximity, the one to whom you give the ball 
enjoined to relate, while unwinding it, a story of 
adventure. When he arrives at the first souvenir he 
stops, appropriates the gift, tosses the ball to another, 
who must take up the story where he left off, or relate 
another, till he or she in turn, while unwinding, comes 
to a gift. If the first player be a good raconteur, he 
can lead off with a story the denouement of which 
will be demanded by the company as he rewinds the 
ball. A good reader may cap this with a chapter of 
*' Our Wedding Journey,'' or the bride and groom 
relate humorous experiences of their own. Hearts 
is a favorite card game, also, for young people's 
wedding anniversaries. 

The second anniversary involves paper as the 
special feature of its celebration. An informal little 
dinner can be arranged for its celebration, the table 
covered with white crepe paper trimmed with paper 
lace. Napkins, doilies, candle shades, etc., are also 
paper. Paper flowers may appropriately take the 
place of natural ones on such an occasion. 

After dinner, a trayful of large mottoes contain- 
ing paper caps and costumes may be passed around. 
After pulling the mottoes with one's neighbor or 
partner, the caps are donned, the hostess directing 
the wearers to impersonate some character of history 



160 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

or fiction to whom such a head gear would be appro- 
priate. The impersonator may simply answer the 
questions put by the guessers without acting to any 
great degree, the two guessing the greatest number 
of characters gaining a prize. A lady drawing a 
woman's nightcap may choose to assume the char- 
acter of Mrs. Caudle, for instance; one finding her- 
self with a peaked cap, Old Mother Hubbard ; a 
dunce cap suggests Simple Simon; a tricorner, Na- 
poleon, and so on. 

The leather wedding gives very little opportunity 
for a decorative display except in table appointments 
— burnt-leather place cards, or white kid, names in 
raised gilt, white kid slippers containing honhons, 
baskets of leather filled with maidenhair ferns, etc. 
At a recent celebration of a leather wedding, three 
^' good-luck " slippers of white kid, the heels to- 
gether, the toes pointing outward, surmounted a 
wedding cake iced in white, lilies of the valley and 
sweat peas filling the slippers. Also, white kid slip- 
pers placed upon a round mirror mat wreathed about 
the edge with the same dainty flowers, or green fo- 
liage, makes an attractive centerpiece. Other decora- 
tions should be of white and green, the bridal colors, 
so far as possible. If the groom be a horseman, or 
a man of wit, bridles interlaced to form their re- 
spective initials may meet the eye everywhere, not 
only for decorative effect, but as a subject for con- 
versation, in which many a quip and jest would lie 
in wait for the groom. 



WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 161 

The Traveler's Tour would prove an interesting 
game for a leather or any other evening entertain- 
ment. One of the guests announces himself as the 
traveler. He is supplied with an empty bag, and 
counters, numbered, are distributed among the 
players. Thus, if twelve persons are playing, the 
numbers must count up to twelve, a set of one 's to be 
given to one, two's to two, and so on. Then the 
traveler asks for information about the places to 
which he is going. The first person gives it, if he can ; 
if not, the second, and so on. If the traveler con- 
siders it correct information or worthy of notice, he 
takes from the person one of his counters as a pledge 
of the obligation he is under to him. The next person 
in order takes up the next question, and so on. After 
the traveler reaches his destination he empties his 
bag and sees to whom he has been indebted for the 
greatest amount of information. He then makes him 
the next traveler. 

Another good game is to send one of the company 
out, and as he comes in again to address him in the 
supposed character of General Scott, the Duke of 
Wellington, Macbeth, or some other well-known char- 
acter. The hero thus addressed must find out " who 
he is " — a rather difficult task even with leading 
questions. This game, among bright people, can be 
made very amusing. 

The presents for a leather wedding need no sug- 
gestion, as burnt-leather articles, purses, shopping 
bags, etc., suggest themselves. 



162 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

WOODEN WEDDING 

This, the fifth anniversary of marital bliss, is the 
one most frequently celebrated. In primitive times, 
actual necessities of the couple in the line of wooden- 
ware were consulted, by the givers of presents on this 
occasion replenishing the wear and tear of articles 
in constant use for that number of years; but at the 
present day even a wooden wedding may prove a 
drain on the not over-well-filled purse, if articles 
de luxe in the way of furniture enter into one's cal- 
culation. This can be regulated by the ** bride that 
was '' herself, if so minded, by stipulating in one 
corner of her invitation cards that presents brought 
by the guests themselves only will meet with accept- 
ance. This serves to make the afPair very amusing, 
the arrival of each guest, bearing tubs, washboards, 
picture frames, camp chairs, and fancy tables, bags 
of shavings, and the like, all adorned with ribbons in 
some fantastic manner, causing shouts of laughter. 
A large wooden wedding bell, unadorned save for a 
fringe of lilies of the valley, would be a pretty 
feature of this anniversary, under which the couple 
might stand to receive the congratulations of their 
guests. At a wooden wedding the aim is to have 
everything as sylvan as possible : foliage in profusion 
decorating the parlor and dining room, mats of 
leaves under each dish, dishes lined with the same, 
and for the centerpiece a rustic basket formed of twigs 
laid log-cabin fashion, and filled with growing ferns, 



WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 163 

or a birch-bark canoe laden with sweet peas, wood vio- 
lets, or ferns. Artificial leaves shade the candles or 
lamps, birch bark forms the place cards, etc. A great 
sawdust pie, in which are hidden gifts, that each 
guest spoons up for himself, or a wooden washtub 
filled with the same, are general features at this cele- 
bration. Wooden pails and tubs containing growing 
plants, etchings of woodland scenes, prettily framed, 
bookracks for tables, a practical tool chest, are all 
suitable presents to carry to a wooden wedding. 

A literary salad will be enjoyed before leaving the 
table on such an occasion. It is made of salad leaves, 
on each of which is a white paper leaf containing a 
conundrum, such as, " When is it easy to read in 
the woods? " '* When autumn turns the leaves.*' 
*' Why are the Western prairies flat? " *^ Because 
the sun sets on them every night." ** Why is a 
washerwoman the greatest traveler on record? *' 
*' Because she crosses the line and goes from pole to 
pole," and others of like nature. 

The host, or groom, holds the answers, each guest 
announcing his or her conundrum, at which all have 
three '^ tries." The cleverest one at guessing wins a 
prize ; the incorrigible ' ' give-it-ups, ' ' a small wooden 
paddle on which is inscribed their names. 

Dancing, or cards, may be the order of the even- 
ing at this or other anniversary celebrations. 



13 



164 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

WOOLEN WEDDING 

A woolen wedding, the seventh anniversary of the 
marriage, is rarely celebrated. It also is an occasion 
requiring no large expenditure of capital on the part 
either of entertainer or guest. Little woolly lambs 
may play an important part in the decorations, and 
be presented to the guests before leaving as sou- 
venirs of the occasion. Comforts, embroidered flan- 
nels, mittens, socks, etc., make up the sum of presents, 
golf stockings, sweaters, knitted caps also included. 
The ball of twine may become one of wool, as hereto- 
fore given, the ** yarn '' spun by the story-teller 
keeping pace with the unwinding of the yarn on the 
ball. 

TIN WEDDING 

This, the tenth anniversary, may be marked by a 
dinner or tea, the new tinware brought or sent by the 
guests, wherever practicable, serving for use at or 
decoration of the table. And quite resplendent will 
the table be, for new tinware is almost as effective 
as silver when half concealed and half revealed by 
crepe paper, flowers, smilax, and other trailing vines. 
Pink and white carnations would add immensely to 
the pleasing effect, tin candlesticks, wire baskets, or 
the little round stands of fancifully twisted wire, 
upon which the teapot is meant to rest, turned upside 
down and lined with lace paper for honhon recep- 



WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 165 

tacles, salted nuts, stuffed dates, etc. For place 
cards, tin foil, covering ordinary cards, may have 
tlie name written upon it by a blunt instrument or a 
pencil, or a bright square of tin, name and date of 
the anniversary marked upon it with brush and pink 
paint; tin dippers, dustpans, and wire broilers, cake- 
cutters, tied with ribbons and filled with flowers, 
washboilers, pieplates, etc., may be used ad lihitum. 
Upon this occasion the tin boiler holds the sawdust, 
and each souvenir is wrapped in tissue paper. Be- 
fore opening, one dickers with another, or a guess- 
ing contest may ensue, built upon the peculiar shape 
of the packages. If a gift of intrinsic value be in- 
closed in one of these packages, and a bright nickel 
in another, the effect, when all are opened, will be 
enhanced. The other souvenirs should be of an 
amusing character. For some indefinable reason, a 
tin wedding suggests " homey," old-fashioned games, 
such as Neighbors, wherein half the company are 
blindfolded, and seated with a vacant chair beside 
them; the other half come in quietly and seat them- 
selves in the vacant chairs. At a given signal they 
all sing at the top of their voices, the blindfolded 
guessing who their neighbors may be. If correct, the 
handkerchiefs are taken from their eyes; if not, they 
remain blindfolded until they guess rightly, the song 
being changed at every coming in of the other party, 
which may occur three or four times. 

Or, Illustrated Proverbs, charades. Going to Jeru- 
salem, and like plays, forgetting not Forfeits, which 



166 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

once played so important a part in evening entertain- 
ments. 

SILK AND FINE-LINEN WEDDING 

A silk and fine-linen wedding requires no special 
mention, the possibilities in fine napery, handker- 
chiefs, drawn work, and the like, for presents being so 
wide. As also the china and crystal weddings, sug- 
gestions for the former in the matter of decorations 
and gifts being taken from the Chinese — Sevres and 
plain china, however, are always acceptable. 

SILVER WEDDING 

This anniversary, marking twenty-five years of 
wedded life, is necessarily somewhat stately in char- 
acter. The invitations to dinner or reception are sent 
out on lar^e cards, usually, edged with silver, the 
dates also printed in silver, as well as the initials of 
the surname sometimes placed at the top, surmounted 
by a true-lovers' knot. The presents are arranged in 
a separate room, flowers, the offering of affection, 
tied with broad silver and white satin ribbon, ap- 
pearing with propriety among the gifts. 

The dinner party is much like other dinner parties, 
with one important exception: the husband takes his 
own wife into the dining room, instead of a distin- 
guished woman guest. The wedding cake is placed 
in front of host and hostess, the latter cutting the 
first slice, as she did when a bride a quarter of a 




SILVER-WEDDING BREAKFAST SERVICE. 



WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 167 

century before. The cake is passed at dessert, and 
this is the signal for the oldest friend of the family 
to propose the health of the happy couple, the toast 
being drunk standing. 



GOLDEN WEDDING 

The fiftieth anniversary is celebrated in much the 
same way as the silver, gold lettering replacing the 
silver on the invitation cards, yellow being the color 
scheme for all decorations and flowers, which may 
be sent as gifts in lieu of golden ornaments and 
plate. The bride and groom enter the dining room 
arm in arm to the strains of a wedding march, the 
eldest son, or mayhap a grandson, proposing their 
health and continued happiness. 



DIAMOND WEDDING 

Of a diamond wedding, seventy-five years after 
marriage, we need hardly speak, so rarely does the 
celebration of one occur even among the annals of 
millionairedom. When one does, mica dust replaces 
the silver and gold on the cards, and is used freely, 
as at Christmastime, on all decorations, which should 
be white and green, the bridal colors. 

Rhinestone-studded articles, happily, may be 
chosen for gifts in lieu of the real. 



168 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

It is a pretty custom, and one generally followed 
by all couples at these anniversaries, be they young, 
middle-aged, or aged, to dance the first number to- 
gether, if dancing forms the principal feature, or 
closes the evening's entertainment. 

To the onlookers no more charming picture can be 
presented than a stately minuet in which parents, 
children, and grandchildren take part, some of the 
guests, perhaps, having danced the same measure 
when the bride and groom were newly wed many, 
many years ago. 




CHAPTEE VIII 

COTILLONS, AND FANCY-DRESS PARTIES FOR ADULTS 
AND OLDER YOUNG PEOPLE 

LESSINGS on the Germans, the French, or 
whoever it was that invented the cotillon — 
that merry, graceful, picturesque game, that 
epitome of all the best there is in private dancing. 
The very name Cotillon calls forth from society a 
benediction and awakens pleasurable memories and 
anticipations of novelty, beauty, and, above all, inter- 
estedness ; and to be interested to the accompaniment 
of music and rhythm and color becomes the very acme 
of enjoyment. The attainment of this rests to some 
extent with the participants — ^the attentiveness with 
which they receive directions, and the zest and spirit 
with which they follow them. But upon the leader 
really rests the responsibility of making a cotillon a 
success or a failure. One has only to possess those 
qualifications for success in any vocation — a cool head, 
an even temper, energy, confidence, and a nimble wit — 
to ' ' arrive " as a cotillon leader. He must inspire his 
followers with his own animation, rushing his figures 
through, merry, serious, and comical following each 
other in quick succession, till a climax is reached in 
the last figure, ' ' the best of all the game. ' ' To avoid 

169 



170 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

confusion, the leader must make his directions as few 
and brief as possible, a word, a wave of the hand, a 
motion of the head often sufficing to make even the 
most complicated figure run smoothly. He will find 
it a help to write and carry with him a detailed 
description of each figure — its number, properties, 
favors, number of couples up and whether they are to 
find partners, while the favors and necessary proper- 
ties for each should be arranged in a room or closet 
adjoining the ballroom, and numbered to correspond 
with the numbers of the figures. 

An infinite variety of figures may be produced by 
making slight changes in old figures, with the aid of 
different properties and favors, or by working up 
popular games, recent inventions, and every-day hap- 
penings into entire novelties. A little inventive 
genius can evolve wonders from a mere suggestion. 
In order to produce harmony between figures and 
favors, it is well for the leader to choose the latter, 
which may be unique, pretty or absurd, brilliant, 
small or large; toys, grotesque masks, flowers, imita- 
tion jewelry, stars and various decorations, oddities 
in wearing apparel, etc. Many very attractive ones 
can be fashioned of bits of gay silks, velvets, muslins, 
beads, and tissue papers. 

It is customary to arrange a programme of six or 
eight dances to precede the cotillon, but in so doing 
the first freshness of the evening's enjoyment is lost, 
and the idea of devoting the entire evening to the 
cotillon itself is gaining in favor. Care must be 




COTILLON FAVOES. 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 171 

taken by the hostess to include in her invitation list 
only as many guests as can be conveniently seated, 
for, if her social circle be large, it is far better to 
give two smaller parties in comfort than one large 
one unpleasantly crowded. The question of seating 
is best settled by chance. The chairs, arranged in 
one row and placed, next to the wall, around the room 
or on opposite sides of the room, should be num- 
bered in pairs, from one upward, for convenience 
sake, cards, or large, gaudy Japanese fans, cor- 
respondingly numbered, being drawn by couples. 
The lady both sits and stands at her partner's right, 
unless otherwise directed by the leader. All unneces- 
sary furniture should be removed, leaving simply the 
chairs for the dancers, small camp chairs of uniform 
size being the most desirable. An ingrain or Brus- 
sels carpet, covered with heavy, unbleached muslin, 
stretched very smooth and tight, presents the best 
surface for dancing. Velvet or Turkey carpet is too 
soft and yielding, necessitating the placing of heavy 
paper between it and the muslin. A bare floor, un- 
less specially made for dancing, should also be cov- 
ered with heavy paper and muslin or canvas. One's 
individual taste enters into the selection of the music, 
though usually, when only two pieces are desired, 
violin and piano are chosen. For a third piece the cor- 
net may be added, and the violoncello for the fourth. 
Beyond this number the selection should be left 
to the orchestra leader, while the musicians should 
be so placed as to be heard to the best advantage, 



172 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

without being near enough to interfere with conver- 
sation. The old way of signaling by clapping the 
hands was never quite satisfactory, because the lead- 
er's gloves muffled the sound, and has been discarded 
in favor of bells, whistles, rattles, or, what is better 
still, castanets. Certain understood strokes start or 
stop the music, others announce changes in figures, 
while a roll signals for seats. The music should cease 
at the end of each figure. The leader frequently is 
honored with the hostess as his partner, and assists 
her, at the close of the cotillon, in speeding the part- 
ing guest ; but often it seems desirable that the leader 
have no partner, and thus be left free to give his un- 
divided attention to his duties. 

Open the cotillon with a grand march, and, if pos- 
sible, obtain for the participants gay hats, parasols, 
or other properties, which add greatly to the beauty 
and general effect. If desired, dispense with the 
regular supper, serving in its stead, at intervals dur- 
ing the dancing, light refreshments of houillon, 
salads, and ices, thus affording an opportunity for 
conversation and sociability. Close promptly at a 
given time, while the fun is still at its height and the 
dancers eager for '' more.'' And — ^this for all — in 
bestowing favors, remember the heartache and hu- 
miliation bravely borne beneath the coat or corsage 
unadorned. ** Put yourself in his place," and favor 
accordingly. 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 173 

MULLIGAN GUARDS 

Provide as many small drums as there are to be 
ladies present, and as many toy trumpets as there 
are to be gentlemen. Number the drums to cor- 
respond with the numbers attached to the trumpets. 
Distribute drums to ladies, trumpets to gentlemen. 
Corresponding numbers dance together, the lady 
with drum One with the gentleman with trumpet 
One, etc. Signal to fall in and march, the leader with 
his partner heading the column, drums beating, 
trumpets blowing. Signal to dance. This may be 
used successfully either as an opening or a closing 
figure. 

THE MINE 

Provide a large number of Japanese lanterns. 
Light, and give one to each gentleman or to each 
dancer. Turn out all the ordinary lights of the 
room. All up and dance. Signal to form a circle 
around the room. Let the leader then act as guide, 
and the others follow him in any complicated lines 
or curves. A serpentine down the room is very ef- 
fective. Signal to dance. Turning on the lights is 
the signal for seats. This is also a good opening 
figure. 

UMBRELLAS 

Eight small umbrellas of different colors are dis- 
tributed to eight ladies. The leader is provided with 



174 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

a very large umbrella, to which are attached eight 
bows with long ends, corresponding in colors with 
the umbrellas. This he turns rapidly over his head 
so that the ends float out. Eight gentlemen are then 
called, each of whom endeavors to catch one of the 
ends. If he succeeds, he dances with the lady whose 
umbrella is of a corresponding color. 

JAPANESE FETE 

The dancers, both ladies and gentlemen, wear 
Japanese robes, headdresses, ornaments, etc., those of 
similar hue dancing together. Very charming cos- 
tumes may be fashioned for this figure with the aid 
of a little ingenuity, a mucilage pot, scissors, and gay 
tissue papers. 

LETTER BOX 

A large, red letter box is brought in, which, by 
means of ribbons which hang from it, presents postal 
cards to the gentlemen and packets to the ladies. 
Those dance together whose names and addresses cor- 
respond. The letter box may be used as a means for 
the distribution of gifts at special-occasion parties. 

INSCRIPTIONS 

Prepare several large cards. Upon one side of each 
place a number, upon the other a ludricous inscrip- 
tion. Several couples rise and waltz. Each lady 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 175 

then draws a large card from a table, while each 
gentleman draws a small numbered card from a bas- 
ket. Partners find each other by corresponding num- 
bers. Each lady attaches her card to her partner's 
shoulder, with the inscription exposed to view, and 
all waltz. 

THE HOTEL RUNNERS 

Provide silk hats and whips for the gentlemen, each 
hat bearing the name of some popular hotel, and 
jaunty summer-resort hats of crepe or tissue paper 
and shipping tags with duplicate hotel names for the 
ladies. After a number of couples have danced, the 
ladies retire to a side room, where they put on their 
hats and tags. The gentlemen are then given the 
silk hats and whips and placed in two lines, facing 
each other, to form a passage from the door through 
which the ladies are to enter. When all is in readi- 
ness, the door is opened and the ladies reenter the 
hall. The gentlemen with their whips solicit patron- 
age for their hotels, after the manner of depot hotel 
runners, calling out, *' Cab, madam? Right this way 
for the Auditorium," etc. Each lady will find her 
partner to be the runner who represents the hotel at 
which she is going to stop. 

RUNNING THE GANTLET 

Have ready a clothesline as long as the width of 
the room. Several couples rise and dance. Two gen- 



176 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

tlemen then turn the rope, while each couple tries in 
turn to pass through without stopping it. Those who 
succeed obtain favors to bestow and dance. The 
failures return to their seats. 

BLIND MAN'S BUFF 

In this game high pointed hats resembling dunce 
caps, and large enough to slip down over a man's 
eyes, take the place of the old blinders. After dan- 
cing a round, the gentlemen are grouped in the center 
of the room and these hats placed upon their heads. 
Their partners circle around them and endeavor to 
elude the blinded gentlemen as they rush forward to 
capture them. 

THE MONSTER MUFF 

For this figure a huge muff is to be fashioned of 
fancy silk, velvet, or tissue paper. In order to secure 
partners, the ladies and gentlemen taking part in the 
figure place their hands in the muff, several at a time. 
By a clever contrivance, some bows being untied, the 
muff opens and those who are holding hands dance 
together. 

THE MIKADO 

Six couples dance a round. Japanese fans bearmg 
the name of the popular opera ' ' Mikado, ' ' but minus 
one letter, are then distributed to the ladies, while 
the gentlemen receive crepe paper handkerchiefs 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 177 

having the missing letters. Each lady then takes as 
her partner he whose handkerchief supplies the letter 
missing from her fan. 

AIR BALLS 

A lady dances around the room carrying an air 
ball attached to a string. Two gentlemen are given 
long pins with which to puncture it, and he who is 
successful wins the lady as a partner. 

ST. VALENTINE'S HAT 

Provide a hat of " tile " shape, large enough to 
slip over a man's head and rest on his shoulders. 
Paste on this hat several hearts, each with a num- 
ber underneath. Provide also a set of stars with 
corresponding numbers. After a given number of 
couples have risen and danced the stars are dis- 
tributed among the gentlemen, and another' gentle- 
man, wearing the hat, enters from a side room. 
Each lady then plucks a heart from the hat and 
dances with the gentleman whose star bears the cor- 
responding number. 

FISHING 

Provide fishing rods, hooks without barbs, lines, 
and bait. Any small stick with streamers of ribbon 
and bits of wire on the ends will answer for the rods, 
while the bait may be anything pretty in the way of 
a favor that will stay on a hook. A number of couples 



178 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

rise and dance, then separate and form two lines, 
while a shawl is held up between them. Each gentle- 
man is handed a line, which he casts over the shawl, 
where it is seized by a fair fish. The shawl is then 
removed, each gentleman dancing with the lady he 
has caught, after removing the bait and bestowing it 
as a favor. 

THE SCARECROW 

Palm-leaf fans with a man's face — one ugly and 
the other handsome — on each side are provided for 
the ladies, while the gentlemen receive correspond- 
ing fans with ladies' faces. A lady advances to a 
gentleman seated, who rises and follows her, she 
dancing backward with her fan (handsome side out- 
ward) before her face. Suddenly she reverses the 
fan, which is understood to be a refusal, advancing 
toward the gentleman, who in turn dances backward 
to his seat. The lady makes known her choice by pre- 
senting the handsome side of the fan. The gentlemen 
with fans execute the same figure with the ladies. 

AUNT SALLIB 

A huge, life-sized figure, comically attired and with 
a small pipe in its mouth, is placed before a lady 
seated in a chair in the middle of the room. Two 
gentlemen are brought forward and each presented 
with a soft ball, with which he endeavors to knock out 
the pipe. He who first succeeds dances with the 
lady. 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 179 

REGATTA 

In this figure the ladies have nautical caps, and the 
gentlemen tiny oars decked with ribbons matching 
the color of the caps. Those whose tints correspond 
become partners. 

NOM DE PLUME 

Provide one set of hats for the gentlemen, another 
for the ladies. The ladies' hats are named Paulina, 
Josephine, Henrietta, etc., while the gentlemen's are 
named Paul, Joseph, Henry, etc. Partners are found 
thus : Paul dances with Pauline, Joseph with Joseph- 
ine, Henry with Henrietta, etc. 

TAPERS 

As many small wax tapers are provided as there 
are ladies. The leader presents one to each lady ; the 
ordinary lights are extinguished and the tapers 
lighted. The gentlemen then rise, each favors a lady, 
blows out her taper, lights are turned on, and all 
dance. 

BROKEN HEARTS 

Twelve or fourteen couples rise, dance, and sep- 
arate at a signal, the gentlemen forming a line on one 
side, the ladies on the other. The leader then steps 
between the lines and distributes two sets of broken 

hearts, one to the ladies, the other to the gentlemen. 
13 



180 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

While so doing he may create considerable fun by 
making a little speech about broken hearts, how the 
ladies have broken the hearts of the gentlemen, and 
he therefore wishes them to step forward and repair 
the damage they have done. Those whose pieces fit 
together to make a complete heart become partners 
for a waltz. 

WOOLEN BALLS 

Woolen balls of different colors are distributed to 
the ladies, with ribbon rosettes of the same colors, 
which they pin to their waists. At a signal they 
throw the balls simultaneously in front of them, while 
the gentlemen scramble to get them, each trying to 
obtain the one of the color of the rosette worn by the 
lady with whom he wishes to dance. 

BIBS 

A lady is seated in the middle of the room and 
provided with a number of children 's bibs and sticks 
of candy. The leader presents to her a number of 
gentlemen. To each not accepted she gives a bib and 
a stick of candy. The rejected gentlemen place the 
bibs around their necks, kneel in various parts of the 
room, and eat their candy. When a gentleman is 
finally accepted he and the lady waltz among those 
kneeling. 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 181 

THE LATTICE 

Provide a good-sized piece of latticework, to be 
held in place in the middle of the room by two gentle- 
men. At its intersections place bouquets, similar 
ones having been distributed to the ladies. The gen- 
tlemen try to dislodge these posies with lances, each 
dancing with the lady whose bouquet matches the one 
he removes. 

THE GIANT WALKING HAT 

For this figure provide an immense tissue-paper 
hat, large enough entirely to envelop six men. After 
six couples have danced a round the gentlemen step 
into a side room and are placed under this hat. When 
all is ready, the door opens and the giant hat moves 
slowly into the room. At a signal the six men burst 
through the hat, find their partners, and continue the 
dance. 

SUNFLOWERS 

These should be of two different colors, one for the 
ladies and one for the gentlemen. Each plucks a 
petal, to all of which numbers are attached, and those 
whose numbers correspond dance. 

BROOM, LANTERN, AND UMBRELLA 

These articles are placed before one of the ladies, 
to whom four gentlemen are presented. She selects 



18^ THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

one for a partner, gives to another the umbrella, 
which he is expected to hold open over her head as 
she dances; to another she gives the lantern, to light 
her way; and to the third the broom, with which to 
sweep the floor before her and her partner. 

GENTLEMEN BALLET DANCERS 

This is a very lively and amusing figure. Provide 
short and very full ballet skirts of assorted colors of 
tissue paper for the gentlemen, and hair ornaments 
of corresponding colors for the ladies. After the 
couples chosen have danced a round, the gentlemen 
retire to a side room to don their skirts, while the 
hair ornaments are distributed among the ladies. 
The leader then announces that Mile. So-and-So, with 
her famous troupe of dancers, will now delight and 
entertain the guests, etc. After the gentlemen have 
furnished considerable amusement for the company, 
they seek as partners those whose hair ornaments 
match their skirts in color. 

FOILS WITH POWDER PUFFS 

Foils with pretty handles are entwined with rib- 
bons and bells, and powder puffs well dredged with 
flour fastened to the tips. Two gentlemen fight with 
these for the privilege of dancing with the lady, the 
victor being he who first puts powder on his oppo- 
nent's face. 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 183 

FISHING RODS 

Lumps of sugar fastened by strings to the ends 
of fishing rods are dangled by the ladies before the 
gentlemen, who try to catch the sugar in their 
mouths. If successful, they dance with the holders of 
the poles. 

DICE 

Two large, bright-colored cardboard dice six inches 
square are thrown by two contending gentlemen be- 
fore a lady seated in the middle of the room. The 
one who throws the highest number claims her as his 
partner. The unsuccessful competitor tries his luck 
again till he in turn has the highest number. 

CROQUET 

An iron hoop, weighted so it will stand, is placed 
on the floor at one end of the room. The lady stands 
beside it, and the gentleman at the opposite end of 
the room with ball and mallet. He endeavors to send 
the ball through the hoop. If he fails, another gentle- 
man takes his place, the one who succeeds dancing 
with the lady. 

MATCHING COLORS 

Provide large gay-colored bows, the ladies wear- 
ing theirs in their hair, the gentlemen theirs as neck- 
ties. Partners are found by matching colors. In- 



184. THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

stead of bows, paper capes may be provided for the 
ladies. 

THE ENCHANTED CIRCLE 

Provide six frames, covered with tissue paper, 
large enough for a person to pass through. Place 
these, tied together to form a hexagon, in the middle 
of the room, five ladies being inside. Six gentlemen 
join hands around the screens, circling around once. 
Each then drops on one knee before one of the 
screens. At a signal the ladies step through and each 
dances with the gentleman whom she finds in front 
of her. The gentleman who remains steps through 
the unbroken screen and stands in the inclosure while 
the others dance. 

THE BRIDE 

The leading couple promenade. The lady, stop- 
ping before some gentleman with whom she wishes to 
dance, places over his head a large white veil, her 
original partner crowning him with a wreath of 
orange or other blossoms. The gentleman so dec- 
orated dances with the lady, the leading gentleman 
with the chosen gentleman's partner. 

TENPINS 

Have ready a large rubber ball. Ten couples rise 
and dance. The gentlemen form themselves into a 
pyramid at one end of the room, the ladies gathering 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 185 

at the other. Drawing lots for the order of trial, the 
ladies bowl at the gentlemen, each lady dancing with 
the gentleman whom she hits. 

BAGS 

Prepare tissue-paper bags sufficiently large to cover 
a gentleman to the waist. After certain couples 
have danced the gentlemen retire and array them- 
selves in these bags. Thus attired they return to 
the room, the ladies choosing them as partners. The 
removal of the bags preparatory to dancing reveals 
to each lady the identity of her partner. 

WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY 

Make a tissue-paper screen about fifteen feet long 
and six feet high, and paste a strip of paper cambric 
across the top to give it strength. Paint upon it sev- 
eral telegraph poles (minus the wires, of course), 
and near each end paint an imitation mail box, with 
a slit in the top through which the telegraph opera- 
tors are to deposit their messages. A message should 
be provided for each gentleman, placed in a num- 
bered envelope, and sealed. The gentlemen should 
also have messenger boys' caps, numbered to corre- 
spond with the messages. After certain couples have 
danced a round a signal to separate is given, and 
the ladies step to one side of the hall, the gentlemen 
to the opposite. While the screen is being brought in 



186 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

the leader may make the follov/ing announcement: 
*' I take pleasure in introducing to you Signor Mar- 
coni, who will give a demonstration of his system 
of wireless telegraphy," etc. Arrange the screen so 
that the ladies will be behind and the gentlemen be- 
fore it. Distribute among the latter the sealed mes- 
sages, which they will immediately deposit at the 
wireless telegraph stations. In a flash the messages 
have arrived at their destinations and been delivered 
to the proper persons, who at once seek the senders. 
They will be found without difficulty, because the 
numbers on their caps correspond with the numbers 
of the messages. After partners are found, all dance. 
Different messages may be made for each number. 

FANCY DRESS PARTIES 

In selecting a fancy costume care should be taken 
to choose what is individually becoming and in har- 
mony with one's personality. Certain costumes suit 
certain features and builds, and people often make 
themselves ridiculous by assuming characters in 
every way opposed to their own. Having at length 
chosen an appropriate character and dressed it as 
realistically as possible, live it for the time being, 
for therein lies the secret of success in impersona- 
tion. In these days of pictorial literature there 
should be little difficulty in finding suggestions for 
picturesque and unique costumes, in which cheese 
cloth, tarletan, calico, and other cotton cloths replace 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 187 

the more expensive materials. Some costumes com- 
bining two characters — Black and White, Night and 
Morning, Peace and War, etc. — often afford much 
amusement. Certain ones which correspond — Apple 
and Pear Blossoms, Cinderella's Two Sisters, Music 
and Painting, Oranges and Lemons, Aurora and the 
Hours — go well together. Four sisters might costume 
as the Seasons, husband and wife as Jack and Jill, 
King and Queen, Wizard and Witch, etc., while 
small boys make a delightfully animated pack of 
cards. Our old, reliable friend. Mother Goose, and 
Miss Greenaway's sketches, suggest many of the 
quaintest dresses for children. Such articles as fancy 
masks, Japanese fans, umbrellas and screens, and 
Chinese lanterns, arranged about the ballroom, add to 
the gayety of the scene, while green foliage makes 
the best background for the vivid colors worn by the 
company. 

A BUSTER BROWN PARTY 

" Resolved : That all who do not want to be bachelors or bache- 
lor girls or 'has-beens,' must come to the real Buster Brown 

Party at the home of , on . If any of your friends 

should find out that you did not attend you would be disgraced 
for life." 

This is merely a suggestion for an invitation, which 
may be changed and elaborated in as many ways as 
there are sides to Buster's character, and printed, of 
course, in a small boy's hand. A little knack with 
pen or brush might place Buster beside his invita- 



188 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

tion, with the ever-faithful Tige beneath. The in- 
vitations request that each guest come costumed as 
Buster in some one of his characteristic poses, while 
host and hostess assume the roles of Mr. and Mrs. 
Brown. Then there are Jimmy and Bridget and the 
maid, the policeman, and other victims of Buster's 
pranks. Even Tige suggests possibilities. The ladies 
may costume as stylish little girls of the present day, 
with full skirts, immense sashes and hair ribbons, etc. 
Two prizes may be offered, one for the best costume, 
the other for the best impersonation of Buster. If 
some of the guests could arrange beforehand some 
pranks and tricks a la Buster, they would add spice 
to the evening's fun. The entertainment and re- 
freshment should be such as one would provide for 
any children's party. Considering Buster's national 
popularity, there should be no difficulty in getting 
material for an evening of this kind. 

A REMINISCENCE PARTY 

As the name suggests, this party is devoted to liv- 
ing in and bringing back the past, or, rather, that 
altogether sunny and imaginative part of the past, 
childhood. Each guest comes in garb characteristic 
of the vocation chosen when a child, resulting in a 
decidedly '^ mixed " assembly — the pirate, a dashing 
figure in his gorgeous costume, sword in belt; the 
confectioner, in white cap and apron; the queen, in 
crown and train; the soldier, with his brass buttons; 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 189 

the millionaire, in evening clothes, with huge paste 
diamonds; the circus clown; the cook, with gingham 
apron and rolled-up sleeves; the sailor, the writer, 
etc. The guests attempt to converse in the vernacu- 
lar of their supposed callings, and reminiscences of 
early years are exchanged. 

THE BABY SHOW 

Invitations to this children's party for grown-ups 
should be written on tiny sheets of note paper, and 
expressed in some such way as this: 

"Dear Fannie: 

" I am going to have a party on Tuesday evening, the third 
of May. Please come, and be sure to bring your doll. 

"Ruth.'! 
Or: 

"Dear Willie: 

"Come to my party next Wednesday evening, April second 
and bring the toy you like best. Lots of the boys and girls are 
coming, and mamma says there'll be ice cream. 

"Tom.'' 

On the backs of the invitations should be written, 
** Come in the costume of a child under ten." Note 
paper specially designed for children, with animals 
at play, scenes from Mother Goose, Kate Greenaway 
figures, etc., is usually to be had, and would be most 
appropriate for such an occasion. The invitations 
admit of very amusing replies. Papa and mamma, 
holding Ruth or Tom by the hand, receive their little 



190 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

guests, and introductions follow, for no one would 
think of identifying three-year-old Johnnie Brown, 
in kilts and huge lace collar, with Mr. John Brown, 
the well-known lawyer; while only a wild flight of 
the imagination could see the gay coquette. Miss Mill- 
burn, in this shy, weepy little maiden, who backs into 
a corner and tries to hide behind the furniture when 
approached by that dread animal. Boy. After a 
little skillful maneuvering the boys may be coaxed 
to ^' come and play with the little girls, *' and chil- 
dren's games of the good old days are indulged in — 
Going to Jerusalem, Stage Coach, London Bridge, 
Oats, Pease, Beans, and Barley Grows — the salute 
being upon the hand instead of the cheek — Bean 
Bag, etc. The ' ' feast, ' ' so dear to the childish heart, 
may comprise dainty sandwiches cut in fancy shapes, 
custards, star cookies '^ with lots of sugar," ice 
cream, and little cakes, honbons — anything, in fact, 
not too trying to the infant digestion. The little 
guests may be seated around the dining room in kin- 
dergarten chairs, each with his bib tied on nicely, 
and eying hungrily the table with its load of goodies 
— nougat pyramids, mottoes, baskets of fruit, and 
striped candy canes — to be served after the substan- 
tial, with " snappers " — for what party was ever a 
success without paper caps? To crown the occasion, 
a huge Jack Horner pie may adorn the center of the 
table, and the " children " draw souvenirs there- 
from. Sandwiches, cake, etc., '' for two '* are some- 
times arranged in dainty boxes or baskets trimmed 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 191 

with tissue paper. If an old baby buggy is available, 
remove the bottom to allow the * ' infant ' ' occupying 
it to walk, and hang curtains around the sides. After 
the baby is in, fill the buggy with souvenirs and wheel 
it into the room in which are the other children, 
where the infant occupant will distribute the toys, or 
whatever the souvenirs may be. The success of a 
party of this kind depends upon the abandon with 
which each guest ^' becomes as a little child " and 
enters into the spirit of the occasion. 

AN ANCESTORS' REUNION 

This is an appropriate celebration for any of the 
national holidays. Each guest is requested to come in 
the dress of his or her earliest ancestor in this coun- 
try. Some may be the fortunate possessors of the 
costume of ''ye olden tyme " — the rich brocades of 
the ladies, the gold-embroidered coats of satin and 
velvet, and the jeweled snuffboxes of the men. Pow- 
dered hair, patches, and jewels would naturally 
supplement costumes such as these. Puritan maidens 
in white caps, kerchiefs, and aprons, and quiet 
gowns, the men in wide-brimmed hats, broad collars, 
knee breeches, and low shoes with buckles, represent 
the Colonial period; while Dutch burghers in their 
big breeches, and their wives with their numberless 
petticoats under full-gathered skirts, their hair hid- 
den under close muslin caps, their cheeks rouged, 
would tell of early Dutch ancestry. Peter Stuyvesant, 



192 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

wooden leg and all, would be a striking figure. Then 
there are the French Huguenot women in long, 
graceful skirts, long sleeves puffed at the elbows, 
and coiffed hair; Colonial dames of Washington's 
time, with their muslin, lace-trimmed fichus, pow- 
dered hair, little caps, etc. ; Quakers, Cavaliers, In- 
dians, Swedes, Germans, Spaniards, and representa- 
tives of other foreign countries. At one party of this 
kind a gentleman of Italian descent came as a Dago, 
carrying a monkey and a wheezing hand-organ, 
while his wife, with a yellow handkerchief on her 
head, jingled a tambourine. Several assumed the 
character of emigrants in picturesque rags, and car- 
ried on sticks bundles made of colored handkerchiefs. 
One who had an ancestor in the Revolution wore the 
hona fide blue-and-buff uniform of 1776. The rooms 
should be hung with flags and bunting in the national 
colors, while buff and blue. might prevail in the din- 
ing room. Ices may be served in cocked hats, drums, 
tricolor boxes, etc. Family annals, bits of curious 
American folklore, stories and anecdotes, would help 
the evening to pass pleasantly to its termination in 
the Virginia reel. 

A ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARTY 

Invitations adorned with shamrocks request each 
guest to represent an Irish character either in history 
or fiction, and to bring to the party some specimen 
of Irish wit. When all are assembled, a grand march 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 193 

to the tune of " The Wearing of the Green " leads 
past a lady dressed as an Irish beggar girl, who re- 
ceives the stories in an outstretched basket. Then an 
Irish manager gives the call, '^ All r-ready for the 
quadrille ! ' ' and a number of sets are formed. 
Three of these may be previously arranged for, the 
first consisting of Mr. Dooley's friends, Mr. Hen- 
nessy, Mr. Riordon, and the 'Donohues ; the second, 
of Irish peasants in costumes — Rory O'More and 
Kathleen Bawn, Kathleen Mavourneen and Terence 
O'More, Shamus O'Brien, and the Widow Malone, 
etc. ; the third, of Irish authors and heroes and hero- 
ines of fiction — Tom Moore and Lalla Rookh, Seumus 
McManus and one of King O'Hara's daughters, etc. 
In a fourth set might dance Fin McCool, the Irish 
giant, all the others being chosen for their dimin- 
utive size — witches, fairies, and hobgoblins. " Money 
Musk," ''Dan Tucker," ''Pop Goes the Weasel," 
and the ' ' Irish Washerwoman ' ' follow the quadrille. 
Supper is served from wooden plates, and the ten 
best stories are read aloud, prizes being given for the 
three wittiest. 

A MI-CAREME PARTY 

Mi-Careme is a French feast day which falls on 
Thursday of the third week in Lent. The celebration 
originated in an ancient custom of setting aside a day 
to greet Spring and bid adieu to Winter, and is 
especially beloved of the laundresses of Paris, who 
parade the streets in their picturesque costumes, at- 



194 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

tended by their swains. This feast day forms the 
basis of a very attractive and unique fancy dress 
party, the ladies wearing the costume of the hlanchis- 
seuse of Paris, the gentlemen assuming the dress of 
bakers, grocers, or men of any calling with rank 
equal to that of a laundress. The decorations repre- 
sent the meeting of Spring and Winter, the former 
being suggested by fresh flowers, ferns, vines, and 
caged birds, the latter by dried grasses, scarlet ber- 
ries, silkweed, cedar branches with their beautiful 
blue berries, and other preserved plant growth. Cot- 
ton sprinkled with pulverized isinglass makes an 
effective background for the greens. The same idea 
is carried out in the table decorations. In the center 
of the table should be a snow bank of cotton and 
snow powder, out of which peep spring flowers and 
ferns. The flowers in vases are placed on the table 
first, and the cotton bank around them. If a co- 
tillon is danced, tiny washboards, dolls' tubs, wring- 
ers, ironing boards, irons, etc., are appropriate favors. 

A HARVEST-HOME PARTY 

A large barn really offers the best setting for a 
party of this kind. Stalls hung with greenery, and 
fitted up with rugs and seats cushioned with balsam 
boughs covered with turkey red, become the very 
coziest of cozy corners, while boughs of flaming 
maple, a dado of ripe wheat, and Japanese lanterns 
suspended among green boughs from the ceiling, 




COZY CORNER IN A BARN. 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 195 

transform the erstwhile stable into a bower of autumn 
loveliness. But the spirit and idea of the harvest- 
home party may be carried out with almost equal 
success in home or hall. The same decorations may 
prevail, or the walls may be draped with yellow 
cheese cloth hung with long vines of white clematis 
and yellow chrysanthemums, tall candles with yellow 
shades giving a soft light from banks of vines and 
ferns. Heaps of pumpkins and rosy apples would 
add a seasonable and convincing touch. Invitations 
should be written on folded paper, uninclosed and 
sealed with wax, and read as follows: 

" An ye will, come to an old-tyme party on ye evening of ye 

tenth day of October, at ye home of Mistress , at ye hour 

of eight of the clock. All will please wear costumes of ye coun- 
trie folk, both lads and lasses." 

The ladies should wear sunbonnets, gingham gowns 
and aprons, or dress to represent different fruits and 
vegetables. For instance, a pale green gown trimmed 
with parsley would quickly suggest the vegetable of 
that name. The gentlemen should wear knee 
breeches, boots, jumpers, and big hats, with houton- 
meres of onions, carrots, parsley, etc. The entertain- 
ment would properly consist of the Lancers and 
square dances. Money Musk, and the Virginia Reel, 
old-fashioned games, a spelling and an apple-paring 
bee; and a supper of clam chowder, chicken potpie, 
apples, nuts, popcorn, cider, and frozen custard 

would be delightfully appetizing and appropriate. 
14 



196 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

AN ANIMATED CAKE CARNIVAL 

In the olden days the festivities of Yuletide were 
the gala time of the year, and covered a period of 
twelve days, the time of the journey of the Magi to 
Bethlehem, the last day being the sixth of January, 
when the gayety culminated in the Twelfth-Night 
jollification. '* Twelfth Night was to pastry cooks 
what Easter is to florists," and bakers vied with each 
other in the production of cakes which were marvels 
of ingenuity, beauty, and delicacy. Cakes, there- 
fore, should form a conspicuous part of any Twelfth- 
Night entertainment, and this idea suggests the ani- 
mated cake carnival. At a party of this kind the 
Angel Cake was a girl in classic draperies of white 
cheese cloth, with large cotton-batting wings. Ginger 
Snap was in a snuff-colored gown, and carried in her 
pockets snaps from mottoes, which she set off from 
time to time. Wedding Cake was, of course, a girl 
dressed as a bride. Sponge Cake appeared in a soft 
gown of yellow cheese cloth, with a hat of the same 
material, the crown of which was a large bath sponge. 
Election Cake was an awesome personage in a news- 
paper gown with a fringe of '* ticker tape " in short 
lengths. Upon her head was a '* creation '' composed 
of bits of paper on which were the type-written 
words, '' Vote for Cupid," '' Vote for home rule," 
etc. Fruit Cake's gown was trimmed with strings of 
raisins and currants in festoons. Nut Cake was in 
brown, with green leaves galore, and wore as a crown 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 197 

a wreath of green filberts. The men were not in cos- 
tume, but wore houtonnieres of patty pans. The fol- 
lowing riddles were propounded and answered: 

What is the cake for a geologist? Layer cake. 

What is the cake for a pugilist? Pound cake. 

What is the cake for a lover? Kisses. 

What is the cake for a gardener? Fruit cake. 

What is the cake for a glover? Lady fingers. 

What is the cake for a politician? Election cake. 

What is the cake for a jeweler? Gold and silver cake. 
What is the cake for a man who 

lives on his friends? Sponge cake. 
What is the cake for the man who 

eats all of these? Stomach-ache. 

For the largest number of correct answers a cake 
knife was awarded, and the evening closed with a 
cake walk. 

OUR HOLIDAYS 

A holiday party offers wide scope for the exercise 
of one 's ingenuity as a costumer, as many of the holi- 
days may be represented in either a serious or hu- 
morous manner, and one has only to make the choice 
best suited to his individuality. New Year's Day 
suggests infancy and innocence. Any man of un- 
usual length of body and limb, arrayed in tights, 
short fluffy skirts, wings, and curls, would be sure 
to create a sensation as the Infant Year. A postman 
adorned with missives would leave no doubt as to his 
identity — Valentine's Day. A costume trimmed with 
turkey feathers, edibles, etc., would be appropriate to 



198 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

Thanksgiving Day. The Fourth of July gives us 
Uncle Sam and Liberty, with drums, guns, flags, etc. 
Saint Patrick 's Day must be very green indeed, while 
Ash Wednesday and Lent should be in deep black. 
May Day could be represented by girls in white with 
flowers and ribbons, and men in sailor waists, knicker- 
bockers, gay sashes, and straw hats. Children's Day 
is associated with little children with flowers ; and the 
American May Day — moving day — should be bur- 
dened down with bundles, bird cage, satchel, pieces 
of stovepipe, etc. — a costume not distinguished for 
comfort, but one readily appreciated by all beholders. 

A NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY 

In the decorations, holly and mistletoe predom- 
inate, with board red ribbons entwining the chan- 
deliers. The hostess, in a red-trimmed white gown, 
receives her guests — ^the Months «f the year, the Sea- 
sons, and the New and Old Years, the latter in long 
black gown, white wig and beard, the former in white, 
with wings of tarlatan and gilded crown. January 
is all in fur-trimmed black, glittering with tinsel. 
February is in red decorated with red and yellow 
hearts, and wears a heart-shaped crown. March ap- 
pears in dust color, with green shamrocks. Mackin- 
tosh, Alpine hat, and umbrella protect April from 
possible showers. May wears pale pink with apple 
blossoms. June, the ^' sweet girl graduate," wears 
her cap and gown and carries June roses and 



COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 199 

diploma. July, as Columbia, is patriotic in the na- 
tional colors. August, in pink gown, and leghorn 
hat decorated with cherries, carries a fan and a white 
parasol. September is in ecru^ with autumn leaves. 
October looks cheery in russet decorated with chest- 
nuts; while November glows in red and brown, with 
strings of cranberries and corn for chains and brace- 
lets. December wears black net over red, trimmed 
with holly, and a large silver star in her hair. Music, 
games, and recitations suitable to the different months 
afford appropriate entertainment. For instance, the 
game of shooting hearts, with a heart-shaped key ring 
and a hatpin with a crystal heart top for prizes, be- 
longs to February; Mendelssohn's '' Spring Song " 
to May, etc. Refreshments are served by the Seasons. 
Spring, in pale green cheese cloth, offers chicken 
salad, small rolls, and peanut sandwiches; Summer, 
in rose cheese cloth, preserved fruits; Autumn, in 
yellow, nuts ; and Winter, ice cream and fruit punch. 
As midnight sounds, all sing " Auld Lang Syne." 
Ornamental calendars for the New Year are pretty 
souvenirs. 

Note. — Additional ideas for fancy dress parties particularly 
suitable for children will be found in Chapter IV. 



CHAPTER IX 

CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 

WORKERS in any church, who have attended 
meetings called to arrange for an enter- 
tainment, have all, it seems safe to say, 
experienced a feeling akin to despair when the ques- 
tion was asked, ** What shall we give? " There are 
no especially new suggestions, but these paragraphs 
give the experience of old favorites that are usually 
profitable, with a few novelties in details, decorations, 
etc. 

Every church entertainment, whatever its charac- 
ter may be, should have a reception committee. The 
ladies chosen should possess a genial manner. It is 
also well for one among them to be well acquainted 
with everybody, for a ready recognition saves much 
embarrassment to strangers. The clergyman ^s wife, 
if there be one, should be among those chosen. 

NEW YEAR'S DINNER 

The New Year's dinner took root and flourished so 

successfully in the small towns that it became one 

of the yearly festivals, one of its chief charms being 

the relief it afforded to those upon whose shoulders 

200 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 201 

rested the burden of cooking the holiday dinner at 
home. The menu was turkey, cranberry sauce or 
jelly, potatoes, celery or slaw, coffee, cheese and 
crackers, with ice cream and cake as extras. It is 
very necessary to have some expert carvers present, 
as close carving makes an enormous difference in the 
profit. 

NEW YEAR'S DRILL 

A pretty New Year's drill is to have four young 
girls, dressed as the four seasons, come on the stage 
and go through a few figures; then another, repre- 
senting the Year, comes on the stage supported by 
twelve little girls, each appropriately dressed to rep- 
resent a month. The Year is led by the Months and 
Seasons to a throne in the center, a chorus appro- 
priate to the occasion is sung, and then the four 
Seasons crown the Year with wreaths emblematic of 
each season, the Months meanwhile joining hands and 
dancing around the group, or marching in the center 
to slow music. When the Year is crowned, all ad- 
vance to the center of the stage, the Year in the mid- 
dle, flanked by the Seasons and Months, and the 
curtain falls. 

MEN'S SUPPER 

When the men in a certain parish proposed to give 
a supper, which they should prepare and serve, the 
ladies smiled in a superior way, and agreed to come 
out of sheer curiosity. But on the night of the sup- 
per curiosity gave way to real appreciation of the 



202 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

spick-and-span waiters in white coats and aprons, 
the daintily set table, and the splendid system which 
prevailed everywhere. In some instances the men 
did not prepare the contributions, but the credit of 
the planning and serving, the setting of the table, the 
washing of the dishes, the management of the kitchen, 
down to the most minute detail, belonged wholly to 
them; and it is a fact worth recording that nearly 
two hundred and fifty people were satisfactorily 
served that evening, and that not a single woman was 
asked to do any of the work. The men chose, as head 
of the whole supper, one of their number, who ap- 
pointed a head waiter with eight assistants. The 
head waiter saw that everjrthing went well in the 
dainty room, and that each guest who sat down had 
a well-cleared space before him, with clean knife and 
fork, and that no one's wants were neglected. The 
head man was in the kitchen. He made the coffee, 
saw that things were kept hot, and that the plates and 
dishes of food went into the dining room looking as 
tempting as possible. He had two assistants to carve, 
and two to wash dishes. One young man, who felt 
that he had no talent for cooking or serving, begged 
from the ladies various articles for a Common-Sense 
booth. He netted about thirty dollars. 

THE BABY SHOW 

The baby show is very ridiculous. Only grown 
people take part in it. They come dressed as babies, 




P 

W 

Q 
O 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 203 

from those in long clothes to the two-year-old in kilts. 
They are arranged about the room, if possible, in 
imitation cradles or baby coaches, propped up on 
pillows, or held in their fond mothers' arms. An ad- 
mission fee is charged, and judges appointed who 
award prizes to the best representatives of babyhood. 

GUESSING SOCIAL 

For a guessing social, four spaces on the wall are 
covered with pictures representing (1) famous men 
and women, (2) famous buildings, (3) authors of to- 
day, (4) famous men and women of our own time. 
Little programmes, with pencil attached, should be 
given to each competitor. Every picture is num- 
bered, and opposite the corresponding number on the 
programme the name of the person or building repre- 
sented is written. The person guessing the greatest 
number correctly is adjudged winner. Prizes may be 
offered. 

ANOTHER GUESSING SOCIAL 

Another guessing social may be called the Five 
Senses Social. The tables are arranged, the first with 
a number of articles of food on it. Each person is 
blindfolded and led up to the table, and required to 
tell the various articles by the sense of taste. The 
second table has bottles or jars containing such things 
as vinegar, etc., which have to be designated by 
smelling. The third exhibit may consist of various 



204 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

kinds of fabric which are to be discriminated from 
one another by the sense of touch, the guesser being, 
of course, blindfolded; and on a fourth may be ar- 
ranged a large number of articles, which each person 
is allowed to look at for one or two minutes and then 
required to write a list of them from memory. Table 
No. 5 has different tests for hearing. It is extremely 
interesting to note how much more acute some senses 
are than others, in each person. 

A SATURDAY SALE 

A Saturday sale, given by a guild of girls, netted a 
nice little sum of money by the sale of ice cream and 
other dainties. These sales were held on a prominent 
lawn every Saturday evening throughout the sum- 
mer. People bought delicacies for Sunday's dinner, 
such as pies, cakes, and candies, while passers-by, and 
driving parties attracted by the Chinese lanterns and 
notices that ice cream was served there, paused to 
refresh themselves, and very often proved to be good 
customers for the wares the girls had for sale. 

A CHICKEN-PIE SUPPER 

A chicken-pie supper always pays well. The pies 
should be made in dishes large enough to serve from 
eight to ten persons, and may be served with mashed 
potatoes, pickles, bread and butter, and coffee; ice 
cream and cake are extra. 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 205 

Another magnet to draw a crowd is a chicken-salad 
supper. Hot biscuits, pickles, and coffee will be ap- 
propriate with it; or, for a slight increase in charge, 
fried oysters will be found an appetizing accompani- 
ment; or fried chicken may form the basis of the 
supper. 

OYSTER SUPPER 

The oyster supper, serving the favorite bivalves in 
the various forms of fried, panned, and escalloped, 
with cold slaw and celery, potato chips, rolls and but- 
ter, and coffee, is justly popular. 

AN ORCHARD TEA 

An orchard tea was given for the church by one 
of the ladies whose orchard adjoined the house, at 
the season when the trees were " fruited deep." It 
proved to be a very delightful occasion, and one that 
the summer visitors said was one of the unforgettable 
evenings of the summer. The young girls of the 
church, dressed in attractive summer dress and 
dainty white aprons, waited on the tables, which were 
scattered over the lawn, and not a few passers-by 
turned in for ice cream and cake. The hostess, being 
of a romantic turn of mind as well as hospitably in- 
clined, had chosen a moonlight evening, which added 
length and enjoyment to the occasion. The apples 
from the orchard were sold in small baskets prettily 
decorated, at a quarter apiece. 



206 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

A FOURTH-OF JULY LAWN TEA 

A Fourth-of-July lawn tea can be made not only 
pretty, but very profitable, the decorations being of 
flags and Chinese lanterns, the waitresses attired in 
red, white, and blue, and the tables adorned with flags 
becomingly draped, or covered with crepe paper of 
national colors. A fitting close for such an evening 
may be an exhibition of fireworks and the singing of 
patriotic songs. 

A JAPANESE FAIR 

A Japanese fair might be held on a good-sized 
lawn. Arches should be built forming an arcade and 
strung with Japanese lanterns. Leave a pathway 
from six to eight feet wide, and have booths on each 
side of this aisle for the sale of Japanese or fancy 
articles, cakes, pies, and candles. Upon another part 
of the lawn place tables to accommodate those who 
are to be served with ices and cake. 

COLOR SOCIAL 

The way to give a color social is this: Select the 
color which shall prevail — pink, green, violet, orange, 
or lemon. Let all your decorations be of the color 
you select, and request everyone who comes either to 
dress in that color or else be prominently decorated 
with it. The refreshments must be, as far as possible, 
of a corresponding shade. The lamps, or the globes 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 207 

on the chandelier, should be shaded with the color, 
and the color scheme adhered to in every possible 
way. 

BIRTHDAY SOCIAL 

A birthday social was given by a guild in a country 
church where three persons' birthdays fell on the 
same day ; so it was decided to make it not only mem- 
orable, but profitable to the church. A social was 
planned like this : A hall was secured ; the four cor- 
ners were curtained off, and a fee charged for admit- 
tance to each one of the four exhibits. In one was a 
tableau of the three Fates: Clotho sat by the spin- 
ning wheel, Lachesis held the thread, and Atropos 
held the shears. An owl was perched above, and on 
the wall was this inscription in black letters: 

Spin, spin, Clotho spin, 

Lachesis twist and Atropos sever; 

Sorrow is strong, and so is sin, 
But only God endures forever. 

In the next booth dwelt a gypsy who read palms 
and sold fortunes in tiny envelopes, where the birth- 
day of the buyer furnished the horoscope. The statue 
of Liberty stood in one alcove, that of Peace in an- 
other. Large cakes, containing each a ring, a button, 
and a ten-cent piece, were cut and served with the 
ice cream. The feast was free of charge. 



S08 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

BIRTHDAY PARTY 

The birthday party may take the form of a masque 
of the four seasons. Everybody who comes repre- 
sents the season in which his or her birthday occurs, 
and all come appropriately dressed or decorated for 
the season. The older people might be required to 
guess from the costumes to what season each be- 
longed. This is a fitting time for a drill or a Kirmess. 

A RAG BEE 

The rag-bee form of social gives its profits in sev- 
eral ways. First, the ladies bring their rags to the 
church parlors, or to a house appointed for the meet- 
ing; some cut them into strips and others sew the 
strips together, while others, again, wind the strips 
into balls. When a sufficient number of balls are 
made, they are sent to a weaver and woven into rugs, 
which sell from one dollar apiece upward. Supper 
is served, to which the men come, and for which they 
pay a stated sum. The evening is passed with music 
and conversation, or any form of entertainment con- 
sidered suitable. 

VALENTINE SOCIAL 

The valentine social can be given a week or so be- 
fore Saint Valentine's Day. The room may be strik- 
ingly decorated with red hearts strung on wires 
everywhere. Booths should be prettily decorated in 
crepe papers, or cheese cloth — if possible heart- 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 209 

shaped — and have gayly dressed girls behind them 
selling valentines, or candy, or ice cream and cake. 
Admission is charged, music is provided, and per- 
haps recitations, and everyone that is present is ex- 
pected to buy valentines. 

ANOTHER VALENTINE PARTY 

Another valentine party may commence with a 
game of hearts. The choosing of partners is accom- 
plished like this: Each lady is presented with a red 
heart and requested to write her name on the back. 
These hearts are pinned onto a sheet, which has been 
hung for the purpose. The gentlemen, one by one, 
in turn shoot at the hearts with bow and arrow, three 
shots are allowed, unless one is pierced by the first 
shot. If the archer pierces any, he unpins the heart 
and goes off in search of its owner, who is to be his 
partner. v 

The supper table is to be decorated in the prevail- 
ing color. A piece of red ribbon about eight inches 
wide is carried down the center of the table, on the 
white cloth. If possible, let the honhon dishes be in 
the shape of hearts. The menu may be creamed 
chicken or oysters, or both, rolls and butter. The 
ice cream is served on heart-shaped plates, or as in- 
dividual ices, in the shape of hearts. With the coffee 
comes the distribution of favors on the valentine 
order. If there is to be a floral centerpiece, red car- 
nations would be appropriate. 



210 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

THE COBWEB SOCIAL 

The cobweb social is not only very pretty but also 
exciting, to onlookers and participants alike. It re- 
quires a good deal of preparation. It may be appro- 
priately given as a Washington's Birthday affair. 
Buy two or three balls each of red, white, and blue 
string, then loop one end of a ball over a tack stuck in 
the wall, and run it back and forth from wall to wall 
and from one room to another, securing it each time 
it reaches the wall by winding it once or twice about 
the tack in the form of a huge spider 's web. Have as 
many of these webs as possible, about a hundred feet 
long each, and all ending at a web made of a large 
embroidery ring, or some sort of a hoop, suspended 
from the center of one of the rooms or some other 
convenient place, the end of each string being at- 
tached to the sides of the frame. A fee is charged 
for unwinding each web. When all are ready, cut the 
ends at the web in the center, giving each competitor 
an end of string. The object is to find the beginning 
of the string first, winding the string into a ball. 
Various strings, of course, cross and recross each 
other, sometimes looped to the same tacks back and 
forth from room to room; this only makes the race 
all the more exciting. The first one to unwind his 
web and present it wound into a ball is the prize 
winner. 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS ^11 

A CHILDREN'S SLEIGH RIDE 

Quite a little sum of money was made by a chil- 
dren's sleigh ride. Any child can buy a ticket. It 
was arranged that the ride should extend as far as 
a parishioner's house three miles in the country, 
where the children were served with chocolate and 
cake. After a rest, the party returned home. 

THE FISH SUPPER 

The fish supper, with its decoration of nets draped 
on the walls, and oars and fishing rods crossed where 
taste dictated, was very unique. The centerpieces on 
the tables were either of bowls of gold fish or a 
mirror surrounded with seashells. The menu may be 
oysters escalloped, panned or fried, lobster or salmon 
salad, sardines either cold or laid on toast in a hot 
oven, and ices and cake. 

TABLEAUX 

Advertisement tableaux are very amusing. They 
should be selected from well-known advertisements, 
which are to be guessed by the audience. Each ad- 
vertisement is numbered; the audience writes what 
they believe is the correct answer, on paper. These 
papers are gathered up after the tableaux are over, 
and a committee decide upon the prize winner. While 

the decision is being made there might be an adver- 
15 



212 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

tisement drill or march. Horlick's Malted Milk, 
Sunny Jim, Cream of Wheat, Baker's Chocolate, and 
Uneeda Biscuit, might be examples. The last named, 
on one occasion, was a huge cardboard box, a copy 
of the well-known biscuit box; it was the finale. Or 
charades might be enacted and guessed, the acts rep- 
resenting different parts of well-known advertising 
wording. 

We must not overlook the old favorites, strawberry 
and peach festivals. They may both be held out on 
the lawn, or in the church parlor. 

CAKE AND CANDY SALE 

Cake and candy sales are always profitable apart 
from booths at the bazaar. People living in the coun- 
try are glad to be relieved from making cake, and 
everyone enjoys homemade candy. Besides, it gives 
the young people an opportunity to do something for 
the church. 

HANDKERCHIEF SALE 

A very profitable sale before Christmas is a hand- 
kerchief sale. Beg all the handkerchiefs you can 
from friends outside the town, and for the rest see 
what the local or city merchants can do for you. 
Have stocks, sachets, aprons, cushions, and dainty 
lingerie made from handkerchiefs. Silk handker- 
chiefs, or those with drawn-work borders, can be sold 
for high prices at a fete of this kind. 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 213 

POUND PARTY 

In giving a pound party, the articles offered for 
sale are wrapped in packages each weighing exactly 
a pound. These are sold at so much a pound, and 
much amusement ensues when they are opened. 

CLIPPING PARTY 

The clipping party is similar. A number of par- 
eels of all shapes and sizes, and containing all sorts 
of articles, are suspended on strings. Each pur- 
chaser is allowed to choose his parcel, which is then 
cut off its string on payment of the regular fee. 

The guild of one church raised about fifty dollars 
in this way: Tiny silk bags (about two inches long) 
were made and sent to each member of the congre- 
gation, requesting them to inclose a nickel for every 
foot of their height and a cent for every extra inch. 
Get some one to write an appropriate verse explain- 
ing the use of the bag. This may be given in com- 
bination with a tea or bazaar. 

DAISY TEA 

For a daisy tea have the room decorated with 
ferns and daisies. If possible, have the napkins of 
the color of the flower scheme. Let the butter be in 
daisy form. The white menu cards should have a 
daisy painted on the outside, and should have a bow 



214 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

of yellow ribbon. The menu may be chicken salad, 
rolls, olives, orange cake, and ices. 

FLOWER BAZAAR 

For a flower bazaar, the children and others are 
asked to sow seeds and bnlbs in flowerpots or boxes, 
and to bring the plants to the church for sale just 
after Easter. This makes a very nice way of raising 
money for missions, besides being a very pretty 
bazaar. 

HOLDING A BAZAAR 

Holding a bazaar in a vacant house has many ad- 
vantages. Each room can be put to a lucrative use. 
It should hardly seem necessary to remind church 
members that raffling articles off, taking chances on 
goods sent for sale, or in any way making such af- 
fairs matter of chance, is most properly, although 
plainly, described by the generic term of gambling, 
and should hardly be countenanced by church mem- 
bers anywhere, least of all at a fair or bazaar given 
under the auspices of the church. 

SIDE SHOWS 

For bazaar side shows, a good one is the pound 
party, already given; and also the Express Office, 
which differs from the pound party in that the par- 
cels are all of different sizes, and for a fee of ten 
cents one is handed out to the purchaser. 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 215 

The Art Gallery is another side show. The various 
articles are grouped to represent pictures; for in- 
stance, one number is called the Four Seasons. This 
is represented by a tray containing mustard, pepper, 
vinegar, and salt. Others will readily suggest them- 
selves. 

A weighing scales is another source of profit. 
Everyone is charged five cents, and given a card upon 
which is marked his correct weight and a fortune. 

A very good supper for a bazaar in winter is 
served at a booth at which one or two chafing dishes 
are in evidence, in which Welsh rarebit is made and 
served with coffee. A reasonable charge is made. 

DOLLS' MILLINERY SHOW 

The booth for the doll s ' millinery show is made like 
a round counter with three windows. On the counter 
stand tiny hatracks, with trimmed and untrimmed 
dolls' hats for sale. Hatpins, socks, necklaces, and 
handkerchiefs for dolls are strewn about, and the 
little girls have charge of it. 

PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY 

A room may be set aside for a photographic gal- 
lery, in charge of some one skilled in the use of the 
camera. This may be arranged for single photo- 
graphs or groups. 

In addition to the articles offered for sale, various 



216 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

other devices may be resorted to for increasing the 
returns. For instance, a tulip bed, which, is made 
by laying on the floor boards a foot high and large 
enough to represent a flower bed. Fill the bed with 
sawdust and plant tulips, which may be made of tis- 
sue or crepe paper. At the root of each is a package 
buried in the sawdust. For the payment of a certain 
sum agreed upon by the committee, each purchaser 
is entitled to pull up his tulip with the package at- 
tached to its root. 

A vegetable stand also represents its own charm. 
"Within the turnips, beets, and other vegetables of- 
fered for sale is hidden some trinket. The price may 
vary according to the contents. It is well not to fill 
the same kind of vegetables with the same articles. 

Fruit of some kind — peaches, apples, or oranges — 
made of silesia, stuffed with cotton, and hung on a 
tree, is even a prettier receptacle for trinkets than 
vegetables. 

TABLEAU OF MOTHER GOOSE 

A children's tableau of Mother Goose has been 
given with great success. This requires a stage. One 
fat little fellow of four represents Jack Horner. The 
curtain rises, and displays him, sitting in a corner 
eating a large pie, while a voice from behind the 
scenes sings the rhyme. When she comes to the line, 
** He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum," he 
takes out a plum and holds it high above his head, 
the singer pausing while the plum is exhibited. 




< 

<l 
tsi 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 217 

'' Mary, Mary, quite contrary." A half dozen 
little heads are seen above a green fence, and Mary, 
dressed like the maid she represents, goes along the 
line carrying the watering pot and watering her 
flowers (with a dry pot, of course), while the voice 
from behind the scenes tells the tale. On reaching 
the end of the line, she returns, and this time each 
little head, as she waters it, falls a little forward. 
Each face represents the center of a flower, while 
petals surround it forming the corolla. 

BACHELOR'S LAST EVENING 

In the bachelor's last evening a young man is 
seated facing the audience, a little to one side of the 
stage. It is the night before his marriage, and he is 
feeling a little sad as he thinks of all that he will have 
to give up on the morrow. He begins to think aloud 
of all his sweethearts: the Western broncho rider, 
how fearless she was! the dainty Quaker maiden in 
the plain dress, how charming were her thee's and 
thou's! the summer girl; the demure country lassie, 
with her sunbonnet and milk pail, and so on, until his 
thoughts bring him to the bride of to-morrow, the 
one who alone has made him a happy captive. While 
he talks, describing each one and dilating upon her 
charms one by one, each as she is described appears 
at the back center of the stage as a tableau, appropri- 
ately dressed; last of all, the bride, all in white and 
veiled, and on her the curtain falls. The lover all this 



218 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

time is unconscious of their appearance, which is only 
visible to the audience. This makes a very agreeable 
close for a dramatic evening. Tennyson's " Dream 
of Fair Women," read and illustrated in like man- 
ner, is also good. 

THE CHARACTER PARTY 

The character party is a little newer than its 
sister, the book party. Those who attend are re- 
quested to come in the dress of some well-known hero 
or heroine, taken from a book. Whoever guesses the 
greatest number of characters correctly receives a 
prize, which may appropriately be a book. 

Or, everyone may come dressed to represent a char- 
acter from Cranford, and you may call your social a 
Cranford Tea. Sometimes it is well for the reception 
committee alone to dress in costume and serve the 
salads and ices after the manner of the characters 
they are representing. 

A DICKENS EVENING 

The Dickens evening has been a great favorite for 
years; the costumes are so very ridiculous and 
fascinating. 

PILLOW DRILL 

A good ending to a general entertainment is the 
pillow drill. It is very simple and pretty. Eight 



CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 219 

boys come on the stage dressed to look like pillows. 
Their heads, arms, and legs below the knee, are free. 
Their faces are powdered. They go through a simple 
calisthenic drill, or a figure from one of the square 
dances. Then a bell rings, and four larger boys, 
dressed like lobsters, enter and lie down at the back 
of the stage, bolsterwise. The pillows then arrange 
themselves two and two on the bolsters, all of them 
moving to the time of the music. The curtain falls 
to the tune of a lullaby, or ' ' Good Night, Ladies. ' ' 

Note. — For details of a " Loan Exhibition," " Fete of All Na- 
tions," " Flower Show," " Jarley Wax Works," and other enter- 
tamments suitable for church social affairs, see Chapter IX. 
Chapters III, V, and XIV may also yield suggestions. 



CHAPTER X 

LARGE PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS 

THE success of any large public entertainment 
depends to a great extent upon the number 
and enthusiasm of the people who can be 
directly interested. Keep this in mind at the meet- 
ing to appoint committees, and let the workers repre- 
sent as many social sets as can be brought together 
harmoniously. Next let the committees suggest and 
secure the names of a number of prominent people 
from different clubs and organizations and cliques to 
serve as patrons and patronesses. At any affair where 
a reception is possible these patrons and patronesses 
may receive ; otherwise their names simply appear in 
the announcements and press notices, and will attract 
the attention of many who would not otherwise be 
interested. 

In deciding between professional and amateur en- 
tertainment, it should be remembered that amateurs 
always draw a crowd of friends and relatives. A 
children 's entertainment will often fill a hall, where a 
musicale or a good lecture would be poorly patron- 
ized. In a fair which is open several days, it would 
220 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 221 

be well to have amateur and professional entertain- 
ments alternating. 

The publicity committee should be one of the first 
appointed, should have one representative from the 
staff of the local paper, where there is one, and should 
begin early devising posters, handbills, press notices, 
and advertising schemes. A bright and original 
^ committee, particularly an artistic one, can do very 
valuable work in arousing public enthusiasm. The 
sale of tickets is also in the hands of this committee. 
It is frequently a good plan to send tickets by threes 
and fours or even more, with printed notices, to 
people who may be expected to buy or to be interested 
in their sale. Of course all such tickets must be re- 
corded and accounted for, to prevent a free dis- 
tribution. 

In every large city there are at least three or four 
houses which make a specialty of books of entertain- 
ments, containing drills, marches, simple plays, chil- 
dren's exercises, operettas, and so forth, and nearly 
all publish complete catalogues. A set of these cata- 
logues would be very useful to a committee planning 
an elaborate entertainment; also a catalogue of a 
theatrical supply house. Many little devices which 
can be secured for a small sum add wonderfully to 
the effectiveness of a play. 

Above all, begin in plenty of time, plan and divide 
the work carefully, and have everything done well. 
A reputation for thoroughly good entertainments, 
combined with skillful advertising, will often attract 



222 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

an audience from neighboring towns and add con- 
siderably to money returns. 

A TOWN CIRCUS 

A town circus will utilize all talent of any kind 
which is to be found in a village or small city. It 
follows, as nearly as possible, the plan of a great 
traveling show. The publicity committee gets out 
posters, handbills, and press notices in true circus 
style, well in advance of the day. A street parade 
is arranged as the opening feature. Drays with 
roughly built cages carry the animals, which are a 
motley collection of pets which have town notoriety, 
humorously labeled, toy stuffed animals, and men 
and boys dressed in garments of cambric or fur. Two 
boys inside a gray cambric elephant with stuffed 
head and padded body and legs make a fine showing, 
and other large animals can be made in the same way. 
If it is possible to rent or buy false heads from a 
theatrical supply house, so much the better. A band 
accompanies the street parade; also a van of negro 
singers, in gay costumes, the clown, cowboys, and 
wild Indians. A hurdy-gurdy or a cabinet organ on 
a van does for the calliope. 

If a tent is not available, the circus may be held 
in a hall. The side shows — fat lady, living skeleton, 
human pincushion, snake charmer (toy snakes), 
hairy-faced boy, and so forth — are easily contrived. 

The ring is covered with sawdust. The cambric 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 22S 

animals, with boys inside, can do astonishing tricks. 
Any town with a good gymnasium can furnish an 
athletic exhibition, and a little amateur juggling and 
wheel-riding are generally available. A pet-animal 
race, in which the entries may be a pig, a goose, a 
hen, a cat, a duck, and a dog, all harnessed with rib- 
bon and driven by their owners, is very laughable. 

Pink lemonade, popcorn, fruit, peanuts, and candy 
are on sale. An admission fee is charged, and small 
fees for the side shows. 

A COUNTY FAIR 

A county fair may be successfully and profitably 
reproduced in a large hall. A committee canvasses 
the town several weeks before the event, soliciting 
entries for prizes. Any kind of handiwork is accept- 
able. A corner should be set apart for an exhibition 
of cut flowers and potted plants ; another for cookery ; 
another for embroideries; another for needlework 
done by men: another for carpentry by women; one 
for pet animals. Even babies may be entered for a 
prize, and the baby show is frequently the most popu- 
lar of all. Ribbon badges do quite as well as money 
awards. Each exhibit is plainly marked with the 
name of the sender, and the judges assign the prizes 
rather early in the evening. There is no charge for 
making entry for a prize, but there should be a gen- 
eral admission fee of twenty-five or fifty cents. 

In the supper room old-fashioned country fare is 



224 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

served — baked beans and brown bread, cold ham and 
chicken, hot biscuit, pies, coffee, and sweet cider, if 
possible. Corn on the cob is popular in season. 

For the entertainment, a race track is arranged, 
and burlesque races take the place of the horse racing 
at the county fair. An obstruction race is amusing. 
The contestants leap a bar, climb through suspended 
barrels without heads, pick up hard-boiled eggs with 
teaspoons and deposit them in a bowl farther down 
the track; sit on a cylindrical piece of wood one foot 
long, put the heel of one foot on the toe of the other 
before them, and thread a needle, and carry a level- 
full glass of water across the line without spilling. A 
potato race is also popular. Potatoes are placed at 
intervals along the track, and each contestant must 
pick up each potato in his line with a spoon, and 
deposit it in his basket at the starting line. The pet- 
animal race described under the town circus is also 
appropriate. A soap-bubble-blowing contest may be 
introduced as a side feature, the contestants paying 
five cents each to enter, six blowing at once, and the 
one succeeding in blowing the largest bubble in the 
five minutes allowed receiving a clay pipe souvenir 
as prize. 

There must be stands for the sale of Saratoga chips, 
light drinks, ices, and confectionery. A brass band 
may be secured to play at intervals. The toy-balloon 
man is a picturesque feature easily managed. 

At the close of the evening, exhibits which have 
been contributed for that purpose are sold at auction. 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 225 

AN AMATEUR VAUDEVILLE SHOW 

Suggestions for this entertainment must be of a 
very genera] character, since everything depends 
upon the talent available. A large stage with the 
ordinary fitting of curtains and footlights is neces- 
sary, and a programme must be made up to suit the 
attainments of those who can be persuaded to take 
part. A chalk talk is a very desirable feature; one 
or two one-act dramas, trick wheel-riding, juggling, 
monologues, fancy dancing, banjo playing — in short, 
an3i;hing entertaining which can be secured. The 
better the participants are known in the community 
the more successful will be the entertainment. The 
different acts should appear on the programme under 
burlesque names. The village orchestra plays while 
the curtain is down. 

THE ART LOAN AND TRADES EXHIBIT 

In one town a vacant storeroom was rented, and 
each prominent merchant arranged a display therein, 
willingly loaning his articles, and sending a man to 
arrange them for the sake of the advertisement. A 
florist took charge of the window display, making a 
centerpiece of the words, " Art Loan and Trades 
Exhibit." A grocer served small cups of tea and 
coffee at his own expense. Prominent people of the 
town loaned pictures and curios for an art gallery. 
The exhibition was open three days from noon until 



THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 



midnight. Afternoon admission was only ten cents, 
evening admission fifty. The first evening a music 
teacher of the town gave a pupils' recital; the sec- 
ond, a lecturer was engaged for a stereopticon talk; 
the third, a dramatic club of the town presented an 
amateur play. Comparatively little work fell upon 
the committee in charge, and the affair was finan- 
cially very successful. 

RUMMAGE SALES 

Rummage sales have been held in many towns and 
cities in recent years, and have been a great financial 
success. A vacant store or hall is rented for several 
days, and the townspeople are requested to con- 
tribute any articles they are willing to dispose of — 
old magazines, clothing, bric-a-brac, furniture — any- 
thing which has the slightest sale value. At least one 
day before the sale opens is set apart to receive the 
articles and mark prices. If the size of the town war- 
rants it, carts may be hired to go about making col- 
lections, in response to postal notices from the donors, 
and articles are received any day while the sale lasts. 
The committees are arranged to serve in relays as 
salespeople. It is astonishing how much money can 
be made by a sale of this kind, especially in a town 
where there is a large population of thrifty poor 
people. Special care must, of course, be taken to 
guard against the spread of infectious diseases in a 
general collection and distribution of this kind. 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 227 

A TWELFTH-NIGHT REVEL 

A Twelfth-Night revel is held on the evening of 
January 6th, the twelfth day after Christmas. 
Tickets and public notices should be out at least two 
weeks in advance of the date, and should request that 
the guests come in costume. Monks, courtiers, fairies, 
Quakers, Colonial ladies and gentlemen, any attrac- 
tive costumes, are appropriate. 

The opening ceremony is the procession with the 
cake. Four pages carry on a platter a huge cake in 
which have been baked a ring and a bean. Following 
them is the master of ceremonies ; then the procession 
of the guests. After two or three circuits of the hall, 
the cake is placed on a table, cut by the master of 
ceremonies and distributed by the pages. Generally, 
by previous arrangement, the ring goes to the chosen 
queen, the bean to the chosen king, but this may be 
left to chance. King and queen are then conducted 
to a throne erected at one side of the hall, and the 
pages put on them the royal robes. The jester, in 
clown's costume, stands near them and intersperses 
droll comments during the entertainment, which con- 
sists of monologues, fancy dances, and music. All 
entertainers are announced by the master of cere- 
monies, brought forward by the pages, bow low to the 
king and queen, and address themselves to them. 
Following the entertainment, the king and queen 
lead the way to the refreshment room, where all as- 
sistants are costumed as maids of honor and pages. 
16 



228 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

Dancing may follow the refreshments. If three sep- 
arate tickets are issued, one for the entertainment, 
one for dancing, and one for refreshments, many may 
come who would not care to stay the entire evening. 



A MAY FESTIVAL 

A May festival, one of the prettiest of out-of-door 
fetes, should rightfully be given on the first day of 
May ; but where the climate forbids light dresses out- 
of-doors so early, any day in May will do. The May- 
pole dance is the feature of the occasion. The pole, 
about twelve or fifteen feet high, is wound with 
strips of cheese cloth in prettily blended colors, and 
from the top hang strips four inches wide, one to be 
held by each of the dancers. At least sixteen girls 
or young ladies should be in the dance, and any 
even number up to forty may take part. Dresses 
should be white, or of soft tints. The dance begins 
with a march in single file around the pole, and the 
more intricate the figures that follow, the better. At 
the close, all the dancers rush toward the pole with 
a cry of *' Hail to the May! '' After the dance, 
little girls in white, with baskets of cut flowers, go 
about among the guests, selling their flowers. Booths 
of potted plants for sale add to the beauty and profit 
of the occasion, and a basket booth where a flower or 
bunch of flowers is given with each basket sold, is 
appropriate. Lemonade, fruit punch, ices, and 
wafers are sold from small tables here and there on 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 229 

the lawn; a gypsy fortune teller in a flower-decked 
tent reads palms or cards. If an orchestra is avail- 
able, the music adds much to what is sure to be an 
enjoyable social event. 

A FLOWER CARNIVAL 

The California cities lead in the pretty custom of 
holding flower festivals, which might well be made 
annual events in all towns where flowers can be se- 
cured in profusion. If held for the purpose of 
raising money, a fair ground, baseball field, or race 
track should be secured, and admission charged for 
the parade. Committees should be at work several 
months in advance of the carnival, getting entries 
promised for the procession; for those competing for 
prizes will need plenty of time to make plans — per- 
haps to raise the flowers they wish to use. The festi- 
val should be held in the month when flowers are most 
abundant, and a list of prizes arranged for the most 
beautiful display, the most curious, the finest color 
scheme, the best show of wild flowers, the best of 
garden flowers, and the best of hothouse flowers. It 
is well to have a good list of patrons and patronesses 
and the dates and places where entries may be made, 
and the list of prizes should be extensively adver- 
tised. Every sort of vehicle or conveyance, from a 
baby carriage up, may be entered, always with the 
understanding that it is to be converted into a floral 
display on the day of the carnival. The judges' 



SSO THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

stand on that day is a mass of flowers. The specta- 
tors are urged to buy bags of confetti and baskets 
of flowers to shower the parade, from boys and girls 
in gay costumes moving about in the crowd. At the 
appointed time the procession starts, and after hav- 
ing passed the reviewing stand twice, it breaks up, 
and the vehicles take stands here and there on the 
reviewing field. The award of prizes is announced 
through a megaphone, and a picnic supper follows, 
picnic baskets being on sale on the field. Fireworks 
and dancing, a platform having been erected for the 
occasion, are the features of the evening. 

A FETE OF ALL NATIONS 

A fete of all nations is an entertainment adaptable 
to a town of any size. In its most elaborate form, as 
held in the large cities, it is generally open for several 
afternoons and evenings. Sections of the hall are 
set apart for the different nations represented, and a 
committee appointed for each nation. As good a rep- 
resentation as possible is given of the characteristic 
features of the countries chosen. Illustrated books 
of travel will give all needed suggestions for costumes 
and customs, and the more accurate are the details 
the more attractive will be the entertainment. Each 
display has a model shop or market place, where 
appropriate articles are sold ; for instance, in Switzer- 
land would be found laces, embroidery, and cheeses. 
It is a good plan to have two countries serving re- 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 231 

freshments each evening, having, in addition to a 
good American bill of fare, two or three dishes char- 
acteristic of the country which is entertaining. Small 
boys taking the part of the acrobats and fiddlers who 
pursue travelers in foreign countries will prove an 
amusing feature of the festival. 

The entertainment for each evening consists of na- 
tional songs and dances, two nations entertaining in 
an evening. This feature may be made very elab- 
orate, the dancers being taught by a professional who 
has made a study of foreign dances; or only the cos- 
tumes need be characteristic, and the entertainment, 
drills, marches, recitations, and music. 

A voting contest, five cents a vote, for the most 
popular exhibition, the votes being counted and re- 
corded on a blackboard every hour, will cause much 
interest. 

Articles sold should be left on exhibition until the 
last day of the fair, as far as this is possible. Two 
months is none too much time to prepare for a fete 
of all nations, especially if the dancing is to be 
elaborate. 

FESTIVAL OF DAYS 

The ordinary fair for charity may easily be trans- 
formed into a festival of days, which is much more 
attractive. Down the center of the hall is a broad 
avenue, with arches draped with bunting and bearing 
the legend, '' Festival of Days." Six large booths 
representing the week days are ranged along the 



232 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

avenue, and two others contain articles of general 
utility not appropriate to any of the day booths. 
Monday's booth is blue, for obvious reasons, and con- 
tains work aprons of ticking, with pockets for clothes- 
pins, laundry lists, soaps, and other articles which 
suggest themselves. At Tuesday's booth are articles 
appropriate for ironing day. "Wednesday's booth is 
devoted to mending, and contains bags of every size 
and description; needle cases, glove menders, and 
everything pertaining to darning. Thursday is 
fancy-work day and has embroideries, tidies, drawn 
work, collars, and all the thousand-and-one dainty 
articles which are always contributed to a fair. 
Friday, being cleaning day, has a fine display of dust 
cloths, duster bags, sweeping caps, sleeved aprons, 
chamois skins, pails, whisk brooms and holders, silver 
polish, etc. At Saturday's booth is a magnificent 
display of everything pertaining to cookery. A booth 
for confectionery should be added, and in a booth 
called ** Everyday " may be collected the articles in- 
appropriate to the other booths. 

A CARNIVAL OF LANTERNS 

A carnival of lanterns is a beautiful spectacle, and 
is not difficult to arrange. It is most attractive out- 
of-doors on a moonlight night, but where this is not 
practicable it may be held in a hall. For the out- 
of-door occasion, illuminate the lawn with Japanese 
lanterns, strung on wires between the trees and in the 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 233 

trees themselves. One out-of-the-way corner may be 
set apart for a burlesque illumination with jack-o'- 
lanterns, and husking races, apple-paring contests, or 
other rural sports are provided for, the contestants 
paying a small sum to enter, and the winners receiv- 
ing badges or favors. A level place in the lawn is 
reserved for a lantern drill, each one in the drill 
carrying a wand from the end of which depends a 
tiny Japanese lantern. Costumes should be either all 
white, or red, white, and blue. The tactics of a flag 
drill may be followed, or any selection made from a 
book of drills. Further entertainment of recitations 
and music should be provided, or, still more appro- 
priately, a magic-lantern lecture. 

A Witch's Alley will provoke much fun. A nar- 
row walk, as long and winding as possible, should be 
roped off, leading to some dark and secluded corner. 
Guests are allowed to enter by twos only, paying a 
penny apiece at the entrance, and swearing to the 
white-robed gatekeeper secrecy until sunrise as to 
what they see. The walk is at first well lighted, but 
the lights grow more dim and vanish entirely just 
before the last turn, which brings the explorer face 
to face with a huge white effigy with jack-o'-lantern 
head under his arm. 

Refreshment tables, with lemonade, ices, and cake, 
are lighted by lanterns suspended above them. Fa- 
vors of blotters, penwipers, fancy boxes, and other 
articles, which may be decorated with lantern de- 
signs, should be on sale. 



234 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

A KIRMESS 

A kirmess is a favorite money-making entertain- 
ment. In its original form it was a representation of 
a certain type of life or period of history, but latterly 
the name has been applied to all sorts of sales and 
fairs, where the entertainment is largely fancy dan- 
cing. We give directions for a kirmess of Colonial 
times. The same general plan would be followed for 
a Japanese kirmess, Old New England kirmess, 
Dutch kirmess, or any other, representing national 
characteristics or a particular period of history. 

For a kirmess of Colonial times, assign to one 
committee a portion of the hall in which is to be 
reproduced an early New England village. Histories 
should be consulted for details — the stockade for pro- 
tection from Indians, the primitive meetinghouse, the 
log or sod homes of the settlers. A good deal of 
carpentry work and some ingenuity will be required 
to make a good effect. Costumes of this period are 
easily homemade. Another committee transforms a 
portion of the hall into Old Virginia, with negro 
cabin and slaveholder's mansion. A third committee 
works up a settlement of the New Netherlands. The 
booths for the sale of fancy articles may be included 
in the settlements, but it is better to have them out- 
side, while the settlers are engaged in the duties per- 
taining to their station and time of life. All at- 
tendants of the booths, however, should be dressed 
in Colonial costumes. 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 235 

Appropriate features of the entertainment would 
be a cake walk by the negroes of Old Virginia; a 
minuet by the Southern white, and one or cwo Dutch 
dances from New Netherlands; the ^' Courtship of 
John Alden " read and illustrated by tableaux vi- 
vants; and a pageant representing the succession of 
important historical events which occurred during 
the first hundred years of our Colonial life presented 
by a series of tableaux vivants, scenes, and proces- 
sionals, with musical airs popular during that period. 

While the kirmess may be, and often is, made very 
elaborate, the same plan may be followed simply by 
having the attendants of the booths dressed in Co- 
lonial costumes, and the entertainment recitations 
and music appropriate to Colonial times. 

A HALLOWE'EN PARTY 

If an unused barn and a large lawn can be se- 
cured for a Hallowe'en party, an excellent beginning 
has been made; but the lawn alone will do. In case 
the barn can be had, decorate it with autumn leaves, 
jack-o'-lanterns, strings of cranberries, sheaves of 
wheat, and corn in various forms. Erect a stage for 
the entertainment, and use the large floor for dan- 
cing. The guests should be masked, or draped in 
sheets with handkerchief masks, producing a ghostly 
effect. The entertainment in the barn, which is dimly 
lighted with lanterns, should consist of weird and 
fantastic tales by an elocutionist; a sleight-of-hand 



236 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

performance ; a ventriloquist, if one can be procured. 
If dramatic talent is to be had, the witches' scene 
from Macbeth may appropriately be given. All 
music rendered by the orchestra should be in minor 
key or of a ghostly nature. The score of '' The 
Darling of the Gods " is particularly good. The en- 
tertainment over, the guests disperse to the lawn, 
which is lighted with Japanese lanterns. Two or 
three trick tents have been put up, where the old-time 
Hallowe'en tricks may be tried by the young people. 
A good palmist or phrenologist will interest the older 
guests, who will willingly pay twenty-five or fifty 
cents for '^ professional " information of this kind. 
The evening ends with dancing and unmasking in 
the barn. 

AMATEUR THEATRICALS 

Plays and Operettas. — The first essential in ama- 
teur theatricals is to find a play which is adapted to 
the available talent. Too much emphasis cannot be 
laid on this point, as amateur work at its best will 
have plenty of slips, be the management ever so good. 
A committee should examine a number of plays and 
make careful selection. Any large city bookstore, if 
it does not keep the plays, can advise where to get 
them. Thorough rehearsal is the second essential to 
success. Many plays are ruined by the failure of one 
or two participants thoroughly to memorize and re- 
hearse their parts. 

All needed stage directions will be given with the 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 237 

text of the play, but a few suggestions which are 
easily carried out may be found useful. 

Simple costumes may be homemade ; more elaborate 
ones rented from a theatrical supply house. Great 
care should be taken that the colors much on the 
stage together should harmonize, and that the cos- 
tumes are of the style prevalent at the date of the 
play. Wigs and masks are rented at small expense, 
and the effect generally more than repays the ex- 
penditure. When the hall has not a regular cur- 
tain, the most easily adjusted arrangement hangs 
like a portiere from rings on a pole and slides back 
in two parts from the center. Footlights are essen- 
tial to a good effect ; a row of reflector lamps will do. 
Large Japanese screens serve for the wings. 

Some common effects may be produced as follows : 
Thunder: bass drum and drumstick; strike one 
sharp blow and four or five rapid, intermittent blows. 
Lightning : purchase a magnesia torch from a theatri- 
cal supply house. Bain: experiment with number 
six shot in a shallow pan. Swish of waves: pour a 
peck of navy beans in a sugar barrel, close the top, 
and tip the barrel backward and forward. Hoof 
heats: imitate rhythm with two cocoanut shells on 
a slab of marble ; use a strip of carpet to deaden the 
sound, for distance. Carriage wheels: hold a ten- 
foot pole perpendicular and draw it across the floor. 
Flowers may be made in abundance from tissue pa- 
per. Fruits and vegetables are made from muslin, 
stuffed with cotton and painted in natural colors. 



238 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

A CHARITY BALL 

Their name is legion, and they are conducted on 
many different plans. In general, the committee se- 
cures a good list of patrons and patronesses, and gets 
out notices of the ball, with this list, about two weeks 
in advance of the evening selected. Tickets are also 
issued and sold by members of the committee. One 
enterprising town, which wished clothing and coal 
for an orphanage, sold no tickets in advance for the 
ball, but advertised that gifts of clothing, subscrip- 
tions of not less than fifty cents, or written promises 
of groceries and coal would be accepted at the door. 
A good hall and a good orchestra are secured, dance 
cards printed, and the work is done, unless a refresh- 
ment committee serves salads and ices, which will 
probably add to the receipts. 

THEJARLEY WAXWORKS 

The Jarley waxworks make a very enjoyable enter- 
tainment for a single evening. Mrs. Jarley, who ex- 
hibits her waxworks to the public, should be a person 
of some originality and humor. The figures are, of 
course, living persons, dressed in fancy costumes, and 
holding themselves perfectly rigid. When the curtain 
comes up a number of them are arranged about the 
stage, and two strong young men as attendants lift 
them about. Almost any house selling these books of 
entertainments will have a copy of Mrs. Jarley 's 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS ^39 

speech. If she can write her own, so much the bet- 
ter. As she introduces a character, the attendants 
bring it forward and appear to wind it up at the 
back, whereupon it gives a song or a speech, or pos- 
sibly a dance. All motions are jerky and mechan- 
ical. The attendants meanwhile go about with dust- 
ers and keep the exhibit in order. Some of the most 
popular characters are : 

Mme. Patti: costume, full dress; when wound up 
she sings " The Last Rose of Summer, " suddenly 
stopping in the middle with a whirring sound, and 
having to be wound up again. 

The Irish Peasant: costume, wooden shoes, short, 
bright shirt, and laced bodice; dances clog dance. 

Sir Philip Sidney: costume, doublet and ruff; 
brandishes sword, which nearly demolishes careless 
attendant. 

Cleopatra: costume, Oriental drapery; toy snake 
runs up her arm. 

Policeman, sailor, Highlander, etc. 

THE LADIES' MAGAZINE 

The Ladies' Magazine makes a unique stage enter- 
tainment. When the curtain rises, the advertising 
section of the magazine appears first, being repre- 
sented in tableaux. One scene is a dialogue between 
mistress and Irish maid who threatens to leave if not 
provided with a Charter Oak stove. Familiar scenes 
from Spotless Town are easily presented; Scourene, 



240 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

Dr. Bell's Pine Tar Honey, Mellin's Food, all have 
adaptable advertisements. Local business concerns 
will often pay for advertising, and this makes the 
most effective entertainment. The principal dry- 
goods store can be recommended in a dialogue be- 
tween neighbors leaning over the fence. The meat 
man can show a row of hams spelling his name, and 
so on. After a sufficient number of advertisements 
comes the frontispiece, for which a well-known paint- 
ing should be selected. Then follow a song or two for 
poetry and a short play for the story, the whole being 
closed with more advertisements. 

To fully carry out the idea, the curtain should 
represent the cover page and be lettered '* The 
Ladies' Magazine," with the month of issue shown 
below, and the title of the play, which is the chief 
feature, also shown. 

A PATRIOTIC ANNIVERSARY 

A patriotic anniversary may have a stage presenta- 
tion of historical events, as follows: 

Opening scene: Wigwam and camp fire, around 
which Indian braves dance. They stop and listen 
while " Yankee Doodle " is whistled behind the 
scenes. Second: Tableau, Priseilla and John Alden, 
Priscilla at her wheel, as in the well-known paint- 
ing. Third: Tableau vivant (burlesque), Washing- 
ton Crossing the Delaware ; dark cloth for water, kept 
in motion from sides of stage; white pasteboard 



PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS 241 

boxes for floating ice. Fourth: Burlesque of Wash- 
ington's Farewell Address; two persons, dressed ex- 
actly alike in Colonial costume, deliver the opening 
words of the address alternately, making the appro- 
priate gestures together. Fifth: Emigrant Wagon 
Crossing the Prairie; the emigrants stop and light a 
fire for supper ; as they work they sing ' ' America, ' ' 
but are interrupted by an Indian attack, and the cur- 
tain falls on the fight. Sixth : The Completion of the 
Union Pacific Railroad; engineers, United States sol- 
diers, emigrants, and Indians are gathered in the 
middle of the stage, where the tracks join ; on a slight 
elevation in the rear appear on one side John Alden 
and Priscilla, and on the other Washington and his 
soldiers, watching the scene. Some one delivers an 
address on the significance of the event, and all re- 
main uncovered while the last spike is driven. The 
curtain falls to *' Hail Columbia." 



CHAPTER XI 

ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES, FEDERATED CLUBS, ETC. 

THERE are certain forms of what may be called 
collective entertaining that are very frequent 
in American life. Rare is the case of the 
woman who has never had to provide for the delegates 
to the missionary society, or the man who has never 
taken part in welcoming a convention, a fraternal 
order, or a club guest. Sometimes such hospitality is 
elaborate, formal, and splendid ; sometimes it is simple 
and unpretentious. But, in either line, it has its rules, 
and it is well to know them. 

The invitations, for instance, to the members of 
any convention, council, congress, etc., meeting in a 
town that desires to do them honor, are many. The 
most formal and courteous way, when it is desired 
to invite the members to a banquet, a reception, etc., 
is to send engraved invitations, a fortnight in ad- 
vance of the meeting of the body, to each individual 
member. Such invitations are always in the third 
person, and if a knowledge of how many are coming 
is required, the letters *' R.S.V.P.," or ** The favor 
of an early answer is requested, ' ' are engraved at the 
lower left-hand corner. They are on handsome, 
cream-laid paper, and have, like a wedding invita- 
242 



ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES S43 

tion, an outer envelope with full address and an 
inner one with only the guest ^s name on it. As the 
name of each individual member of a large organiza- 
tion is not known to outsiders, these invitations are 
usually sent, unaddressed, to the secretary of the 
body invited, who has them addressed to the mem- 
bers. Such an invitation might run as follows : 

THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 

OF THE 

COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA, 

REQUEST THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE 

ON Thursday Evening, April the Fifth, 

AT NINE o'clock, 
AT THE 

Somerset Hotel, Commonwealth Ave. 
R.S.V.P. 
Mrs. Henry Jones, 

25 Marlborough Street. 

It should be answered within a week by every 
delegate who receives it. Another form of invitation, 
quite as proper, but informal, is to send a written in- 
vitation to the organization, to be read by the secre- 
tary at the first meeting of the body, thus : 

MRS. RICHARD W. ROBINSON 

requests the honor of the company 

of the 

Officers and Members of the 

National Council of the Colonial Dames, 

on Thursday Afternoon, 

AT FIVE o'clock, 

174 Newbury Street. 
17 



244 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

To such an invitation the secretary returns an an- 
swer, thanking Mrs. Robinson in the name of the 
council for her polite invitation, and accepting or 
declining, as the meeting may decide. Often so many 
invitations come in to an organization meeting in a 
large city that all cannot be accepted. In smaller 
towns, however, those desiring to entertain the coun- 
cil or convention may consult together, and arrange 
so that no clashing shall result. 

It is customary for any large organization hold- 
ing annual sessions which are not confined by custom 
to one place to receive invitations from different 
cities and towns for the next year. These invitations 
should be formal, and should be sent to the secretary 
to be read in the meeting, and accepted or declined 
for the next year, as the case may be. If accepted, 
a committee should be formed in the town chosen, 
to prepare acceptably for the entertainment, lodg- 
ing, meeting hall, etc., of the invited organization. 
The more thoroughly things are prepared the more 
smoothly and pleasantly the affair will go off. The 
smallest town can give some form of pleasant en- 
tertainment to a visiting organization, especially if 
the time of year be arranged for when the weather 
is likely to be at its best. It is no compliment to 
invite people to visit one's town during its worst 
periods of climate, winter or summer, drought or 
flood. 

The lodging and board of delegates, after they are 
invited, is a problem that must be attacked and solved 



ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES 245 

at once. In the case of a missionary society or 
Christian Endeavor convention, the usual way is to 
allot to each church or Endeavor Society in the town 
a certain number of delegates, for whose entertain- 
ment they are held responsible. The church or so- 
ciety then presents the list of names to its members, 
asking them to volunteer provision for the guests. 
Many a troubled housekeeper, or a man who has no 
convenient opportunities for hospitality, is glad, in 
such case, to pay for lodging and board at a hotel 
for one or more delegates rather than undertake to 
entertain them at home. In this way quite a number 
of hotel rooms, in suites or separately, may be en- 
gaged for the delegates, and it will be found, on the 
other side, that many of the guests will prefer the 
hotel to private hospitality, and be glad of the chance 
to stay there. 

The committee in charge of the delegates should 
know positively a week before the meeting exactly 
how many are coming, and by what trains they ex- 
pect to arrive. It is a great breach of courtesy for 
the visiting delegate not to give this information, as 
it may lead to much inconvenience. To get one's 
house in order to receive two ladies, perfect strangers, 
as guests for three days, to market for them, to go 
down to the train to meet them, and to have neither 
of them arrive, and be asked by a harassed commit- 
teeman to take an elderly gentleman in their place, 
is a happening that has turned more than one Chris- 
tian woman against missionary societies. The more 



MG THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

piety a delegate has, the more courteous he or she 
should be. 

It ought to be understood, likewise, that hospitality 
of this kind is not hospitality toward personal friends 
and guests, but hospitality with a shade of difference. 
The delegate has come for a certain purpose — ^to at- 
tend the meetings of convention or society. The 
hostess need not necessarily attend them, too, nor 
should she be responsible for filling the odd hours 
with any social pleasures. The visitor is scrupu- 
lously bound to be on exact time at meals, and to re- 
quire no extra service or attention that can possibly 
be helped. The fact that so many members of a 
church or society prefer to entertain the men dele- 
gates rather than the women, because ** they are no 
trouble, and never there except at meals," looks as 
if men were wiser than women on these points. 

It is courteous and proper for any visitors, after 
the meeting is over and they are home again, to write 
a '' bread-and-butter " letter, thanking the hostess 
for the hospitality. 

Some organizations require no private entertain- 
ment for their members, who receive an allowance 
from the general treasury for hotel bills, or are ex- 
pected to pay their own expenses. In these cases, 
the committee have only to recommend the best hotel 
or hotels for the purpose and prepare the hall for 
meeting, decorations, etc. Some committees meet the 
visitors in a body at the trains and conduct them to 
the hotels. Some receive them at the hotels. Some 



ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES 247 

only receive them at the meeting hall, just before the 
first session. It is all a matter of form, and any- 
way is proper enough. Many organizations have 
their main officers go ahead of the rest, reaching the 
town a day or two before the rank and file of the 
delegates, and arranging things more or less before 
the rest get there. 

The place of meeting should be chosen by the town 
committee, who know best how to chose a central, 
comfortable, and easily accessible hall. It should be 
decorated as suitably and prettily as possible, and 
committee rooms, etc., should be arranged for, if 
necessary. If the majority of the delegates are to 
stay at one large hotel, it is well to have the meet- 
ings in some room of the hotel suitable for the pur- 
pose, and so keep the whole affair under one roof. 

The president and officers of a visiting organization 
are, of course, the recipients of more attention and 
hospitality than the rest of the delegates. It is very 
likely that dinners, luncheons, and banquets will be 
given for them, and these, both public and private, 
should be as formal and elegant as possible, since, in 
entertaining the officers, the whole body is in a sense 
entertained. If a tea or reception is given to an 
organization of women, the president may be asked 
to receive with the hostess. If the society or conven- 
tion has any colors or emblems, these can be used in 
decoration, in preparing souvenirs, and so on. 
Flowers can be sent to the officers at the first ses- 
sion, or at the close of the meetings, arranged in the 



248 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

chosen colors, or tied with them. The president and 
officers should have the best suites in the hotel, or 
they should be entertained at the best houses in the 
town. The hostess who entertains them should take 
the greatest care to leave them free to make any en- 
gagements they prefer, and provide them, if possible, 
with private parlors for conference with visitors, etc., 
as they are liable to bring much of the business of the 
organization home with them, and to be consulted 
unceasingly out of hours. Any distinguished speaker 
or member who is to be present, or to address the 
meetings, should also be the recipient of special honor 
and hospitality, in much the same way as the presi- 
dent. 

If there is any special place of interest in or near 
the town that is entertaining a visiting organization, 
a reception there or an excursion to it is always in 
order. For such trips a special train, or trolley cars, 
or carriages, may be provided by the committee, or 
the delegates pay their own fare, as seems most suit- 
able. For example, if the Sons of the American Rev- 
olution, meeting in Philadelphia, were invited to a 
reception held at Valley Forge, they would probably 
pay their own way there, just as they would pay for 
a carriage or a car to reach a private house where a 
reception was held. But if the mayor and council 
invited them to visit Independence Hall, or the Penn 
House in Fairmount Park, carriages would probably 
be provided to take them there in a body. It is, of 
course, more whole-heartedly hospitable not to let 



ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES 249 

a delegate spend a single cent for expenses while a 
visitor to the town. But this might prove far too 
expensive an affair in the case of large numbers of 
delegates to be contemplated by the hosts, and both 
sides must be considered. 

In entertaining one distinguished guest, however, 
and not an organization, this point becomes entirely 
different, and is to be insisted upon. When a lec- 
turer is invited by a club, expenses are usually part 
of his or her charges, as a matter of course. Even 
when this is not so, and the fee is large enough to 
cover everything, it is usual for some one in the town 
to invite the speaker to dine or to stay overnight. 
The chairman of the lecture committee is the one to 
arrange for this, and if no invitation is forthcoming, 
to see about hotel accommodations. It does not 
usually suit the man or woman who lectures to have 
a dinner party given for him or her on that even- 
ing. A long and formal dinner, where one must 
talk and be at one's best, is an exhausting affair just 
before the greater effort of the lecture or speech. The 
hostess who wishes to show the lion at his best, and 
have her hospitality pleasantly remembered, will not 
make this mistake, but will provide a simple, small 
dinner, and reserve all her pains for a good supper, 
with a few choice spirits, after the event of the even- 
ing is over. And if the guest is ushered at once to 
his or her room, on arrival, and can be given an hour 
to rest there before dinner, or between an early din- 
ner and the lecture, it will be gratefully remembered 



250 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

as the truest of hospitality, when elaborate feasts are 
forgotten or recollected only with a groan. 

"When a speaker or organizer comes from outside 
to address or organize a meeting for some public or 
charitable purpose, it is usual to have a special com- 
mittee to meet and entertain the guest. Such a com- 
mittee may hire the proper hall, meet the guest at 
the train, escort him or her in a carriage to the hotel 
or home where he or she is to stay, consult as to the 
speech and details of organization, and so forth. At 
a large gathering there may be several speakers from 
outside, and these should all be met, welcomed, and 
consulted by the proper committee, escorted to the 
hall where the meeting is held, and introduced to the 
audience either by the chairman of the meeting or 
by some special officer of the committee. 

At the dedication of a building or the laying of 
a cornerstone, special guests are often invited, who 
represent different organizations. If there is a pro- 
cession of carriages, etc., to the spot of the dedication 
or cornerstone laying, the most important represent- 
atives should always be in the first carriages, accom- 
panied by the highest official on the committee. It 
has been laid down as a rule, which certainly has a 
deep foundation, that the clergy are entitled to take 
precedence, as representing the highest of all au- 
thority. When any special hour is fixed, it should be 
the aim of both guests and committee to be absolutely 
on time, and a breach of this courteous punctuality is 
a great failure in good manners. 







< 



O 



ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES 251 

When a city entertains a distinguished visitor on 
tour, there is no end to the possible observances in his 
or her honor. Those who were concerned in the re- 
ceptions given to Prince Henry, Li Hung Chang, the 
Infanta Eulalie, etc., on their visits to America, or 
who accompanied General Grant in his tour around 
the world, saw every variety of welcome given and 
every species of honor paid to the distinguished 
guests. A description of how Liverpool and London 
entertained General Grant may give hints as to the 
way such things are done. 

At Liverpool the whole seven miles of water front 
were made gay with flags and bunting, and crowds 
were assembled everywhere to see the vessel pass that 
bore the general and his family. The United States 
consul general, from London, with a deputation of 
merchants and prominent men, sailed down the 
Mersey to meet the Indiana. When the party landed 
they were met by the mayor, the common council, 
and a delegation of merchants, and the mayor de- 
livered an address of welcome, to which General 
Grant replied briefly. From Liverpool, after various 
receptions and functions, the general went on by 
way of Manchester, where he was met by the mayor 
and aldermen, escorted about the city and to the new 
town hall, where he received an address of welcome 
from the mayor and corporation, and was received 
by the Dean of Manchester and other dignitaries. At 
London General Grant was met at the train by the 
American minister in behalf of the United States, 



252 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

and by Lord Vernon as the representative of Eng- 
land, with a great crowd cheering welcome. He was 
invited by the Prince of Wales to Epsom, asked to 
dine at Apsley House by the Duke of Wellington, 
and invited to a banquet by the Duke of Devonshire 
to meet fifty members of the House of Lords. After 
these functions were over, the freedom of the city of 
London was conferred upon him. Traffic was sus- 
pended in the streets leading to the Guildhall, and 
the general was escorted there in a carriage and met 
by a deputation of officials in gold chains and crim- 
son gowns, who conducted him to the hall and to a 
seat next the lord mayor's. The chamberlain then 
read a formal address conferring the freedom of the 
city, to which the guest replied by a speech of thanks. 
A banquet followed in the great hall^ which had been 
draped with English and American flags. A recep- 
tion at the Reform Club, a state concert at Buck- 
ingham Park, and a reception given by the Ameri- 
can minister, at whose house the distinguished guest 
was entertained during his stay, concluded the offi- 
cial hospitalities. 

An American city also entertained General Grant 
impressively on this tour — San Francisco, the port 
where he landed when he returned to America. 
Lookouts, especially provided, telegraphed the first 
news of the arrival of his ship, the City of Tokio, 
and bells and the firing of cannons spread the news 
to all the city. A small steamer went out to meet 
him with a reception committee on board, and the 



ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES 253 

committee of arrangements, with several thousand 
invited guests, followed on a large steamship, with 
innumerable steamers and private yachts in tow. 
The wharves were crowded everywhere, and salutes 
from all the forts announced that the City of Tokio 
was entering her dock. A triumphal procession was 
formed, and fireworks and illuminations, though it 
was evening, made the city as light as noonday. As 
the general's barouche neared the hotel, a chorus of 
five hundred voices in a balcony above sang an ode 
of welcome. General Grant, after dinner, made a 
brief address to the crowds, which then dispersed. 
Receptions and banquets followed for days. 

It will be seen from this that the reception of a 
distinguished visitor by a city is not altogether con- 
fined to the municipal authorities, but that various 
organizations and individuals can take part, and the 
welcoming crowds are not the least important feature. 
Processions, addresses of welcome, the attendance of 
the mayor and council, are always in order. Every 
hour of the guest's time while in the city should be 
provided for, although, if possible, a few hours al- 
lotted to rest ought to be considered in the daily 
scheme of things. Each city has individual attrac- 
tions of its own to show a visitor, and should seek to 
make them known. The reception committee and the 
committee on arrangements are the two important 
bodies, and should be most carefully chosen, as on 
their ability and knowledge the success of the whole 
depends. The main thing is to do the thing per- 



254 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

f ectly, whether the way of doing it be small or large, 
and not to attempt a programme too ambitious to 
be completely carried out; but, of course, the more 
largely and generously the guest of honor can be 
entertained, the more satisfied everyone will feel after 
the occasion is over. 

A form of invitation which can be suitably adapted 
to any function in honor of a distinguished municipal 
guest is as follows: 

THE GENERAL COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS 
Invite Mr. and Mrs. Robinson to a Ball 

TO BE GIVEN BY THE CITIZENS OF NeW YoRK TO THE 

Prince of Wales, 

AT THE Metropolitan Opera House, on Friday Evening, 

October Twelfth, at nine o'clock. 

John Van Rensselaer, Richard Stuyvesant, 

Chairman. Secretary. 

The response to this would be in practically the 
same form: 

MR. AND MRS. ROBINSON 

accept with pleasure the invitation of 

The General Committee of Arrangements 

TO THE BALL TO BE GIVEN BY THE CITIZENS OF NeW YoRB: 

TO THE 

Prince of Wales, 
ON Friday Evening, October Twelfth, 

■r AT THE OpERA HoUSE. 



ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES 255 

Of course, the invitations are all engraved with a 
blank left for the guest's name, and it is well to 
have the seal of the city, in gold and colors, as a 
decoration for the head of the sheet, in the middle. 
In all invitations, indeed, to conventions, assemblies, 
and so on, a seal or insignia, or coat of arms, with 
appropriate colors, makes a handsome decoration on 
the engraved invitations, and adds an official dignity 
to them. Such invitations may go out as long as a 
month before the time, and seldom less than a fort- 
night, and should be answered to the secretary, and 
answered promptly, as there is often a great pres- 
sure for admittance to these functions, and the com- 
mittee need to know accurately the number of those 
who will come, or whose places can be filled. The 
general committee usually has a subcommittee on the 
engraving and sending out of the various invita- 
tions, and it is one of the hardest and most thankless 
of positions to be on this committee. Nevertheless, 
many persons desire it, for the species of power that 
it confers. Committees on decoration, transporta- 
tion, programmes, and addresses are usually neces- 
sary, but the central committee must hold all the 
threads and approve or disapprove of the various 
parts and plans. A committee of ladies in the back- 
ground is almost always a valuable aid to municipal 
entertaining, if they can be induced to serve. 

In decoration, each householder may be requested 
to decorate, or a scheme of decoration involving 
squares or streets may be used. The modern use of 



S56 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

staff, and the beautiful decoration possible with its 
aid, and the possibilities of electric light, have made 
municipal decorations very much finer in the last two 
decades than ever before. When a White City or a 
Dewey Arch can be created in short order, at com- 
paratively small cost, or wonderful illuminations be 
produced by electric devices, it is comparatively easy 
to decorate a street impressively for a public cere- 
mony of welcome. Stands draped in the national or 
city or organization colors along a line of parade are, 
of course, always appropriate. School children are 
often arranged on these stands, dressed in colors to 
represent the flag or banner, and ready to sing some 
appropriate hymn or song as the guest of honor 
passes. Floats representing different trades that are 
peculiar to the town or its pride, singing societies, the 
militia, and fraternal orders, are all appropriate in 
such municipal processions of welcome. A whole 
town turning out to do a guest honor is the height of 
hospitality and welcome. 

Trains for special guests of honor may have special 
decorations, and usually have the right of way on the 
schedule. It is a frequent custom to present the dis- 
tinguished guest with some handsome memento of the 
town. ' ' The freedom of the city in a gold box ' ' was 
probably the origin of this custom. A loving cup, 
or any handsome piece of gold or silver work, is suit- 
able, or some especially fine and characteristic piece 
of trade handiwork made in the town. When a 
government cruiser or ship is named after a town. 



ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES 257 

the honor is usually acknowledged by the entertain- 
ment of the officers of the ship and the presentation 
to them of a silver service or a bronze tablet, or 
something of the sort, for the vessel, in a public 
meeting, with addresses. 



CHAPTER XII 

CLUBS 

THE subject of the club, and especially of the 
woman's club, is one of the largest subjects 
in American life at the present time. No 
justice can possibly be done to it in this small chapter. 
But as a bundle of suggestions to those who would like 
to organize small clubs of any kind, it may be valu- 
able in some measure, and in that hope it is written. 

Any number of men or women, anywhere, may or- 
ganize a club for any purpose. It may be called a 
guild, a society, an association, if they prefer; but 
all fall under the general rules of the club, and are 
formed in practically the same manner. 

When it is desired to start a club, the first step is 
to call a temporary meeting. It is not strictly neces- 
sary that more than one person should prepare for 
and call this meeting. That is, a man or woman who 
has it in mind to start a club or society need not take 
counsel with anyone about it, nor explain the plan 
beforehand to anyone invited to the meeting. But 
as a matter of fact, the originator is wise if he or she 
will get some others interested in the project, and 
have them join in the call, and plan beforehand how 
things are to be done in the meeting. This is where 
258 



CLUBS S59 

the organizing faculty comes in. To have a success- 
ful temporary meeting, the call should be full and 
clear, the essential business of the session planned 
out, and the officers partly arranged for, and willing 
to serve if elected. Otherwise there is apt to be con- 
fusion, and unsatisfactory results often happen. 

A meeting can be called by any person or persons 
interested, verbally, by the telephone, by written 
note, or through the newspapers. If, for example, 
Mr. Jones or ]\Irs. Smith wishes to form a Village 
Improvement Society, a notice can be put in the 
newspaper as follows : 

All persons who are interested in the cleaning, beautifying, 
and improvement of this town are invited to meet at the house 
of John C. Jones, 412 Main Street, on Thursday, June 8th, at 
3 P.M., to consult as to the best method of accomplishing this 

°^j^^*- (Signed) John C. Jones, 

Lucy Evans, 
Eleanor B. Smith, 
Henry Allen. 

Or, if Mrs. Smith wishes, on the other hand, to form 

a Browning Club, she may make a list of those she 

thinks are best suited for its membership, see some 

of them, telephone to others, and ask them to meet at 

her house to discuss the formation of such a society. 

In either case, the temporary meeting follows the 

same lines, practically. When the day arrives, it is 

well to have the chairs arranged for a meeting and 

a table and chair for the presiding officer. Even for 

a small meeting, the organization may just as well 
18 



260 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

be systematic as Tinparliamentary and disorderly. 
After a little wait for those who are late — ten min- 
utes is quite enough — the person whose name stands 
first in the call to the meeting rises and says : * ' The 
time for our meeting has arrived. Will you please 
come to order, and nominate some one as chairman of 
the meeting? '' 

The speaker then remains standing, leading the 
meeting until some one is nominated and elected. If 
things have been well arranged, some one (not one 
of those whose name is on the call, usually) rises and 
presents a name, thus, " I nominate Mr. Jones (or 
Mrs. Smith) as chairman." In doing this, the per- 
son leading the meeting is not addressed as '' Mr. 
Chairman " or '' Madam Chairman," because no 
chairman has yet been elected. The proposer then 
sits down, and some one else rises and says, *' I sec- 
ond the nomination." Then it is well to wait for 
a moment and say: *' Mr. Jones (or Mrs. Smith) is 
nominated as our chairman, and the nomination is 
seconded. Are there any other nominations, or any 
remarks? " since it is not meant to force any chair- 
man upon the meeting in a cut-and-dried fashion. 
Often, however, the first nomination is welcome and 
suitable, and no other names are presented. The 
question is now put to vote, as follows: ^' If not, 
those in favor of Mr. Jones (or Mrs. Smith) serving 
us as chairman will say Aye. Those opposed, No. 
It is a vote, and Mr. Jones (or Mrs. Smith) is elected 
chairman of this meeting." 



CLUBS ^61 

If there should be more noes than ayes, it is, of 
course, not a vote, and another nomination is in 
order. The chairman, when elected, takes the chair, 
which means that he or she goes to it, stands, and 
says: 

" The first business is the election of a secretary. 
Will you please nominate? " 

The chairman remains standing, and when another 
person rises to nominate the secretary, the address 
'' Mr. Chairman " or ^' Madam Chairman " must be 
used, and the chairman responds " Mr. Allen " or 
'^ Miss Evans," thus " recognizing " the speaker, 
and giving " the privilege of the floor," so that no 
one can interrupt without being out of order. If a 
proposer nominates some one for secretary and the 
motion is seconded, other nominations are waited for 
as before, then the names voted on, and the secretary 
is chosen. If two names, or more, are to be voted 
upon, one is voted for and the ayes counted, and 
then another, and the majority vote elects; or the 
voters may stand up to be counted in each vote. 

Chairman and secretary being elected, the meeting 
may proceed to business at once. The secretary has 
a table and pen and paper, and is not obliged to write 
what is said, but only what is done. The secretary's 
record should contain no personal comments, but be 
as short and accurate as possible — ^simply a record 
for future reference. The chairman states the ob- 
ject of the meeting, and the temporary meeting is 
now ready for work. 



^6^ THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

The temporary meeting simply begins things. It 
chooses committees, perhaps, and leaves them to con- 
tinue the line of work mapped out at the meeting, or 
to act with authority henceforth. Or it may proceed 
to form a permanent organization, with a constitu- 
tion, or only by-laws, or both, and with permanent 
officers. All present at the meeting are considered 
to be entitled to membership if they shall fulfill the 
requirements which are agreed upon at the meeting. 

The temporary chairman and secretary may be 
nominated and elected as officers of the permanent 
club, or others may be chosen, or the election de- 
ferred, as the meeting pleases. If a committee is 
appointed or elected on constitution and by-laws, they 
cannot, of course, present their report until the next 
meeting, the time and place for which are usually 
agreed upon before the meeting is adjourned. The 
permanent officers can either be elected at once or a 
nominating committee appointed to bring names be- 
fore the next meeting. The necessary officers are the 
president, vice-president, and recording secretary. If 
fees are part of the club's system, a treasurer is nec- 
essary also. In large societies, boards of managers or 
directors help in bearing the work. 

Shattuck's '* Woman's Manual of Parliamentary 
Law " and Fish's " Guide to the Conduct of Meet- 
ings " are good books for beginners, and are clear 
and thorough. Cushing's '' Manual " is the stand- 
ard one. Crocker's is also first-rate. One advantage 
of knowing and following parliamentary usage is 



CLUBS 263 

that it saves hurt feelings and personal debates as far 
as possible, and keeps women to the point. No one 
can feel affronted by being held to the rulings of a 
manual, or restricted by the impersonal law of par- 
liamentary procedure, which treats all debaters ex- 
actly alike. Therefore it is well for the presiding 
officer of any club to know his or her manual ac- 
curately and thoroughly and keep it always in 
evidence, even at the risk of being laughed at as a 
trifle particular. 

For most small clubs, however, the fine points of 
law are never needed. Once organized and set going, 
they can be managed with very little trouble, and the 
more successful a club is, the less friction there is, 
usually, in its meeting. On one point the president or 
chairman must, however, exercise unfailing tact: the 
appointment of committees. The president of a large 
and useful society need not necessarily be a good 
speaker, or a woman of initiative and resource; but 
he or she must know how to appoint working commit- 
tees, social committees, etc., so that the members fit to 
each other and suit their places in the work. The 
man or woman who fails in this is not a fit executive, 
no matter how energetic and talented. 

The objects of clubs are numberless to-day, and 
each day sees a new kind of organization. The large 
women's clubs, with their federated work, lie entirely 
beyond the scope of this chapter. It aims only to 
present a few foundations on which men or women, 
or both, may band together for pleasure or profit or 



264 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

outside improvement. In many of our towns the 
greatest need is for the men and women to form a 
village improvement club. The women are useful 
and hard-working in the various churches of the 
town; they are happy in their home and social life; 
but they are not touching and studying and helping 
the problems of the whole town, as they could do if 
banded together, with the men who are good citi- 
zens, for that end. A good town improvement club 
does not only consider keeping the streets clean, and 
seeing that flower beds are planted in the park; it 
considers whether the children of the town have the 
library privileges they should, and whether the young 
men and women have pleasant and innocent places to 
pass their evenings in, and if the factories are sani- 
tary, and the schools up to the mark, and so on. It 
has work to do sometimes that is not pleasant, and it 
may be a thorn in the flesh to incompetent town 
rulers; but it educates and improves the town, and 
its members inevitably, if it perseveres. It is almost 
always noticeable, even by a casual visitor, when a 
town has a good village improvement society in full 
swing. 

It is best for such a society to begin by doing some- 
thing which all the town agrees would be a benefit. 
Only after three or four such things have been done is 
it well to touch a mooted problem. Confidence must 
first be earned. When the club is popular, it can then 
go ahead and do the unpopular task with far less 
danger of failure and opposition. The line of least 



CLUBS 265 

resistance should be studied, and the right time for 
doing things. One Maine club, which did not seek 
" to do aggressive work, but to cooperate with the 
powers that be," has planted and protected trees, 
established public baths, suppressed many nuisances 
through a " public health committee," and helped 
the schools by a committee on playgrounds. In a 
Pennsylvania town an improvement club had '' a 
back yard prize contest," enlisting over a hundred 
and fifty householders whose back yards had been 
neglected, with wonderfully good results. In New 
Jersey one club of women in a small town gave a 
thousand packets of flower seeds to the school chil- 
dren, and made them members at a fee of twenty-five 
cents a year, *' payable in work." In another place 
a w^oman's club offered cash prizes for cleaning up 
the yards, etc., of the village, and the winners became 
so interested that th^y gave the prizes right back 
again into the treasury, to start more contests with. 

A club for taking care of young children, coopera- 
tively, has proved a success in one small community. 
The mothers met and formed the club, laying down 
the rules for all to observe. Each mother in turn 
took the children in a group in their houses, quaran- 
tining those who had contagious disease, however. 
Certain forms of punishment only were allowed, and 
refreshments were limited to bread and butter and 
milk. The club worked well, and gave the co- 
operating mothers a good many leisure afternoons 
which they otherwise could not have hoped for ; while 



^66 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

it is on record that the children enjoyed visiting each 
other as much as going to a party, and behaved well. 
Young girls could easily be included in a club of this 
kind as assistants and add to its usefulness. 



SEWING CLUB 

A sewing club has been used by some deft-fingered 
girls as a means of profit. The club, each member of 
which could embroider, cut and fit, or do plain sew- 
ing, sent out circulars to people who had children 
of suitable age, stating that they were ready to teach 
sewing, etc., in a certain room in a central position, 
every Saturday. The fees were five cents an hour for 
plain sewing, and a trifle more for the other branches. 
Some of the plain sewing supplies — ^thread, thimbles, 
darning cotton, buttons, hooks and eyes, etc. — were 
furnished free to the pupils. The club succeeded, 
and made money, besides doing a much-needed work. 

ECONOMY CLUB 

A club for housekeepers, also for profit in its way, 
is the economy club. The members, living in a 
suburb, have combined to get wholesale rates from a 
city grocer, and also raise the standards of the sub- 
urban tradesmen. They buy in bulk, and buy the 
purest food products obtainable, and their combined 
knowledge grows all the while. 



CLUBS 267 

BOOK CLUB 

Along the same line are the book clubs which buy 
books for all, each taking her turn, and keeping the 
books a certain limited time, paying a fine if the 
time is exceeded. A magazine club, in the same way, 
brings all the current magazines to a dozen women 
at no more than the price of a single subscription 
apiece. These clubs must have strict rules and keep 
to them. The name that heads the list for one month 
should go to the bottom the next, regularly, so that 
each subscriber has the benefit of having the maga- 
zines or books in their full freshness at least once. 
No magazine should be kept over three days, of 
course. It is rather a good plan to let each member 
keep the numbers of one magazine permanently, after 
the club is through with it, so that each, at the end 
of the year, will have her magazine back numbers as 
if she had subscribed for it herself. The per capita 
contribution may be fixed upon this system, each 
paying the price of the magazine she desires to keep ; 
or they may be distributed by lot, at the end of the 
year. 

TRAVEL CLUB 

A travel club may be organized, taking each year 
a different part of the world, buying books and maps, 
and perhaps securing a lecturer once a season, to 
keep up the interest. In a town where there is no 
large club for women which provides lectures and 



268 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

classes, such a club as this may become the nucleus 
of a future organization, or an acceptable substitute. 

DINNER CLUB 

A dinner club of half a dozen young married 
couples, all intimate friends, has been found very 
stimulating and educating to the housewives con- 
cerned. The club is limited to five dollars per dinner, 
or less if desired, and each dinner must have a cer- 
tain number of courses, usually four — ^soup, meat and 
vegetables, salad, and dessert. Everything must be 
counted, even the bread and the salad oil, in the total 
price. The lessons in wise economy involved, and the 
variety of dishes served and learned about, are a 
true course in household economics ; and the husbands 
become as interested as the wives in figuring out the 
best possible combinations of food within the limit. 

LUNCHEON CLUB 

A luncheon, for ladies alone, may be run upon the 
same plan. In any luncheon club, indeed, it is well 
to fix a certain limit of courses and expenditure, or 
it becomes burdensome to belong. The woman who 
wants to do a little more is always with us, and should 
be curbed, not followed. For a luncheon club it is 
well to have a question for discussion at table or 
afterward. Such a luncheon club, of ten, called The 
Topic Club, proved a great success in a college town. 



CLUBS 269 

The topic for the next luncheon can be given at the 
end of each, and there is plenty of time in tie fort- 
night between to think it over. " Who are the five 
greatest living Americans? " and '' Is modern fic- 
tion progressing? " are questions, for example, that 
have brought lively discussions. In such luncheon 
and dinner clubs it is usually the rule that if any 
member is to be absent, the hostess is notified and al- 
lowed to fill the vacancy, but never to go beyond the 
original number. Such a topic club can also be held 
in the afternoons, with tea served at the end of the 
discussion, instead of being a luncheon club. A com- 
mittee to select the subjects can be appointed, if de- 
sired. 

CARD CLUB 

Card clubs are numerous nowadays, and, more 
than any others, have to be run strictly on a set of 
rules agreed upon, or trouble results. Some clubs 
have prizes, paid for out of the fees, and played for 
by all. It is better not to have them, undoubtedly, if 
harmony and enjoyment are aimed for. The after- 
noon card club, from three to six, need have no con- 
cern about refreshments whatever, or have them only 
of the simplest kind, as tea and sandwiches, or lemon- 
ade and cake. But the card clubs that are compli- 
cated by luncheon or dinner or an evening supper 
should be limited, by agreement, to a certain number 
of courses or hot dishes, otherwise some players will 
be sure to be forced out by the rising scale of the en- 



210 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

tertainment ; and as the club is for card playing, and 
not for eating, this defeats its primary object and 
spoils its success. 

LITERARY CLUB 

A Shakespeare, Dante, or any other literary club, 
is always a good thing for young or old. A good idea 
is to have a committee appointed each time — in a 
Shakespeare club, for instance — ^to choose the play, 
cast it, cut it, and have a programme printed, if de- 
sired. No one cast for a part can refuse it without 
paying a fine. The large parts should be carefully 
alternated so that each man and woman in the club 
gets a chance at the star characters in his or her turn, 
as far as possible. The fines may go toward print- 
ing the programmes. A Dante club may use its fines 
or fees toward one good lecture on the poet, and study 
up so as to be ready for it. A Browning club, a 
Dickens club, a club to read the modern dramatists, a 
current history club, are all successes if a persever- 
ing group of men and women take hold of them to- 
gether, and bring their best to the discussions and 
readings. " Plain living and high thinking " make 
the best rule as to refreshments. The simpler the 
supper the better, though it may be hot and sub- 
stantial in its simplicity. 

AUTHORS' CLUB 

An authors' club, at which the works of some liv- 
ing author are read, and the author secured to come 




COUNTRY CLUB: IN THE GRILL ROOM. 



CLUBS S71 

for one reading, is interesting, but hardly possible 
except in or near a literary center. 



COOKING CLUB 

A cooking club is useful as well as enjoyable. One 
way is for the members to meet at the different houses 
in turn, and for each hostess to cook the luncheon or 
supper when her turn comes. Another is for each 
member to provide one dish, or one course, in turn, 
the food being prepared and sent to the house of the 
hostess for that occasion, and the one who has cooked 
it helping also in serving it and heating it, if neces- 
sary. Still another way is to have a teacher, and 
serve the meals under her direction, inviting each a 
guest, or guests, to enjoy the dainties. The members 
of the club may cook everything — ^bread, vegetables, 
and all — or may prepare only the daintier and more 
abstruse dishes, leaving the rest to an ordinary plain 
cook; and the price of the meals may be limited 
by club rules, or may be indefinite, as the members 
please. 

COUNTRY CLUB 

A country club is enjoyed by young and old, and 
is a benefit to any town, however small its size. It 
should be open to all the family to join, having days 
and privileges for juniors as well as the rest. A space 
of ground sufficient for tennis courts, croquet, and 



272 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

golf can easily be rented somewhere near the town, 
and accessible by trolley or train. It is not always 
possible, at first, to have a clubhouse, but even a very 
small one, with wide porches, will make a great dif- 
ference in the enjoyableness of the club. A club tea 
can be given once a week by the different ladies in 
turn, two or three being appointed as a tea commit- 
tee for the season. A large country club grows to be 
a very systematic and important organization, with 
its golf links and caddies, its carefully made tennis 
courts, its shower baths and lockers, and dining room 
and caterer. But the small, informal country club 
is always worth starting, and the young people of a 
place will be enthusiastic in its support if they once 
take hold. 



CAMPING CLUB 

A camping club can be made pleasant and success- 
ful. Sometimes such a club can find a house out in 
the woods or by a stream, and take possession of it 
for a week ; or tents can be arranged for and a guide 
and general utility man engaged. The girls can do 
the cooking and the men look after the fires, while 
the older people who act as chap er ones can take life 
as easily as they please. Such a club can go mountain 
climbing or exploring, year after year, at very little 
expense for its outing, if the managers know how to 
plan things. 



CLUBS 273 

The club idea can be applied to almost any form 
of endeavor, for pleasure or profit, and often with 
great advantage. The main rules are to have a clear 
and definite purpose, as few by-laws and officers and 
committees as possible, but enough to cover the work 
systematically, and as much flexibility as will com- 
bine with thorough organization. To begin small, to 
go slowly, to be careful about necessary details, and, 
above all, to choose the right managers, is the secret 
of club success. 



CHAPTER XIII 



HOSTESS AND GUEST 



WHATEVER other forms of entertaining may 
or may not come within the scope of her 
experience, every woman, it is safe to say, 
at one time or another is guest for some days in 
another woman's house, and, in her turn, hostess to 
some other woman as guest in her house. Every 
summer sees thousands of new summer homes opened 
at the myriad lake, shore, and mountain resorts, and 
in the country, and one of the first instincts of the 
happy possessors is to invite their friends to share 
the new home's pleasures with them. A great deal 
of this entertaining is for the " week end " — a term 
that used to be associated with the house parties of 
the English nobility, but is now as familiar to the 
young American clerk and struggling professional 
man as to any " belted earl " abroad. Trains, boats, 
trolleys, leaving the cities and larger towns on Friday 
nights and Saturday noons, from June to September, 
are crowded with tens of thousands of persons bound 
for a ' ' week-end ' ' vacation, either at their own sum- 
mer homes, whither they are escorting guests, or at 

the homes of friends. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and 
274 



HOSTESS AND GUEST ^75 

other holidays see each a similar exodus, although 
not set so uniformly in one direction, for as many 
come from the country to visit in the cities as leave 
the cities to spend the festive season '^ with the folks 
at home. ' ' And all winter the folk from the quieter 
towns and villages may be found enjoying a whirl 
of metropolitan life with some of those friends or 
relatives who in the summer were so glad to flee the 
metropolis for the countryside. 

Thus the exchange of hospitalities goes endlessly 
on; younger folk ask each other hither and yon in 
pursuit of "a good time," and older folk go 
a-visiting in search of rest, or to renew old associa- 
tions, or to " see the children " who have scattered 
far and wide. 

Of course, no one needs to be reminded that an in- 
vitation to spend a few days, not to mention weeks, 
under another's roof tree, is the greatest compliment 
one can receive. The extending of it almost always 
implies that not only the hostess, but her family, is 
willing to undergo a number of small inconveniences, 
and to hold personal preference in abeyance for a 
stated period and make the guest's pleasure the su- 
preme consideration. When sending such an invita- 
tion, always make it very explicit; state just when 
you wish your guest to arrive and when you will 
expect her to depart. This is not discourtesy, but the 
truest kindness, and if omitted will cause the well- 
bred guest much distress of uncertainty. It is not 

necessary to say, baldly, " You will be expected to 
19 



276 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

leave on Tuesday morning, May eleventh," or even, 
'^ I cannot ask you to stay after the eleventh, as I 
have a sewing woman engaged for the twelfth," or, 
** I expect my mother-in-law on Wednesday." Say, 
instead, " Won't you give us the happiness of enter- 
taining you from Friday afternoon to Tuesday? 
You will find the 3.30 from town. Central Station, a 
quick and pleasant train, and I will meet it and be 
your proud escort home. There's to be a hay-ride 
Friday evening, and a lawn tea Saturday, followed 
by a small dance at the hotel. Monday night one of 
my friends gives a large reception in honor of her 
wedding anniversary, and I am urged to take you, so 
you must try to stay over for that. There is a not- 
too-early train leaving here at ten-twelve, which will 
get you to the city for lunch. Looking forward 
eagerly to seeing you Friday, I am," etc. 

This gives your invited guest absolute assurance 
that she will in nowise intrude on any time you have 
otherwise engaged; it suggests to her, gracefully, 
what she will need to bring in the way of clothes, and 
what she may expect in the matter of entertainment, 
and saves her all trouble of looking up time tables 
and worrying about trains. The utmost explicitness 
that can be conveyed tactfully is the ideal of good 
form in an invitation. Such an invitation demands 
an immediate and very definite reply. 

If a guest fails to make the train or boat by which 
she is expected, she should at once wire or long-dis- 
tance 'phone her hostess, explaining the mishap, and 



HOSTESS AND GUEST 277 

suggesting that no trouble be taken about hitching 
up to meet her, but that she will endeavor to get to 
her friend's house in a depot hack or other hired 
conveyance. Almost invariably a hostess will refuse 
to listen to this, and will go or send again for her 
guest. But it is the least the guest can do to dep- 
recate the trouble she has caused, and show an en- 
tire willingness to atone for it by self-help. 

In the matter of meeting guests a diversity of 
opinion exists, though no hostess possessing the true 
spirit of hospitality will fail to meet her guests at 
the station or landing; or, if through any reason she 
canlnot, a member of the family will be delegated to 
do so for her, she conducting them upon their arrival 
to their chambers, the host doing likewise for his 
male guests. 

These bedchambers will show the personal touch 
of the mistress of the house, everything being pro- 
vided for the comfort and pleasure of the guest, a 
couch for " naps " in the afternoon, with hard as 
well as soft pillows and cushions, a slumber robe or 
comfort folded at the foot; a shelf or bookrack con- 
taining a few books or late magazines ; a low rocking- 
chair for the tiny woman, and vice versa; the req- 
uisites for the toilet and bath carefully looked to, 
a robe for the latter being frequently supplied by the 
thoughtful hostess anticipating that her guest might 
arrive without one. 

*^ She makes one feel so thoroughly comfortable 
and at home/' was the enthusiastic comment of a 



278 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

young lady after a week's visit to such a hostess; 
*' the domestic machinery seemed to move on wheels, 
the table linen was always fresh, the glass and silver 
well cared for, the table dainty with cut flowers or 
growing ferns, the few dishes well cooked and 
properly served, the ease of manner of my host and 
hostess, and maid servants, giving one the impres- 
sion that an addition to the quantity alone of the 
viands was needed for our entertainment, the family 
living in the same style every day ; and that my pres- 
ence beneath their roof gave pleasure, and not 
trouble, to every member of the household/' 

In direct contrast is the hostess who, in entertain- 
ing a guest or two, abandons all her ordinary habits 
and ways of life ; who makes it only too obvious that 
she kills the fatted calf in their honor every day, her 
apparent ^* not-at-homeness " rendering it impossible 
for them to feel at home despite her wish to that ef- 
fect. Her unrest and fussiness naturally pervade the 
entire household, and in such an atmosphere no guest, 
unless she be extremely unobservant and selfish, can 
be other than uncomfortable, feeling as she must that 
everyone has been put about for her convenience and 
pleasure. In her desire for strenuous entertainment, 
a hostess of this character will persecute her guests 
with attentions, affording them the benefit of her so- 
ciety every hour in the day, when good sense, if not 
good breeding, should prompt her to leave them to 
their own devices several hours for reading, writing, 
strolling, napping, etc., she in the meanwhile looking 




"CHAMBER OF PEACE." 



HOSTESS AND GUEST 279 

to the comfort of her own family and the ways of her 
household. 

'^ I visited once," says a writer, '' in a homelike 
house beautiful because of its simplicity. Its guest 
chamber I shall never forget. Two of its windows 
faced the north, opening into a blossoming orchard; 
two others looked west, across a green valley to a mag- 
nificent range of hills. The room was very white and 
restful. Somehow it seemed more restful when my 
eyes found framed above the mantel these words, 
beautifully illuminated, ' The name of this chamber 
is Peace.' In smaller passe partout frames I found a 
sentence here and there on the wall which suggested 
happy thoughts or a gracious welcome. One, which 
hung between the western windows, seemed to greet 
me every night like a benediction. It was from George 
Eliot, and it said : ' I have always this sort of welcome 
when I look at the sunset, that there in the West lies 
a land of light and warmth and love.' I have slept 
in guest rooms much more finely furnished, and well 
scattered with pictures and bric-a-brac, but I re- 
member none of such real restfulness and homelike 
quiet as that white * Chamber of Peace.' " The 
windows of your guest chamber may not look out 
upon an orchard, nor, in a city, even face the west, 
but the hostess, by such dainty touches and thought- 
fulness of detail, may not only reveal her appre- 
ciation of the guest's character, and perhaps needs, 
but also the light and warmth of a soul truly hos- 
pitable. 



280 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

If the guest's stay is not to be a brief one, the 
hostess will naturally desire her friends to show her 
some attention; to which end, soon after her arrival, 
she will send out cards, writing upon them, " To 
meet Miss Blank." If the guest be a young girl, she 
will arrange for a girls' luncheon, a small dance, or 
card party, the latter being an easy way of entertain- 
ing either old or young, but not to be considered, of 
course, if her visitor has no knowledge of, or even lik- 
ing for, that form of amusement, to say nothing of re- 
ligious scruples against it. A guest will show herself 
at her best when friends are invited to meet her, tak- 
ing pains to second all the efforts of her hostess for 
their entertainment. She should be easily amused, 
showing by her responsiveness that she visited her 
friend with the expectation of enjoying herself; a 
happy, animated guest being ample reward for all 
a hostess's pains and the extra effort of entertain- 
ment. 

'' I have a friend coming to visit me in July," 
said an acquaintance, " and I want her to meet the 
nice people of our little town — not simply to meet 
them, but to learn to know them a little." 

The house of this woman was small; she kept no 
' ' help, ' ' and her stock of silver, linen, and china was 
by no means large. Had she been rich, she would 
probably have arranged for a reception, the '^ social 
secretary," caterer, and florist relieving her of all 
trouble and responsibility; or, seeking to imitate a 
wealthy hostess, she might have prepared her own 



HOSTESS AND GUEST 281 

refreshments, borrowed of all her neighbors, had 
three days of toil and trouble, and retired, worn out, 
with the virtuous sense of having introduced her 
friend, and paid off at the same time many social ob- 
ligations. 

Instead, she did it in this way, a way open in its 
simplicity and charm to any hostess caring to follow 
her example : Back of her house was a beautiful 
yard, with a little porch overlooking it. Fine oaks 
and a catalpa tree shaded it, and her flower beds were 
in full bloom. She decided on a series of garden 
teas. Twice a week, by telephone, by word of mouth, 
or by written invitation, according to time and op- 
portunity, she asked her friends, etc., in groups of 
ten or twelve^ ^' to come and play in her yard from 
four to six. ' ' She hung her gay hammock and spread 
her rugs and cushions; she set a dainty table with 
sandwiches, cakes, and wafers. Tea and coffee were 
made on the porch, where sat the elderly guests who 
did not care to sit on the grass. She grouped her 
friends with discretion, the number being so small 
each time that conversation could be general. She 
was a fine reader, and sometimes read extracts from 
a favorite author, or a poem relating to nature and 
the out-of-door world in summer. A " literary 
salad " was then passed around — jokes, stray rhymes, 
wise sayings of children, the latter never failing to 
start the guests into story-telling. Her garden gave 
her always a flower for each plate, daisies and pansies 
at first, roses later, and once it was a " clover " tea. 



282 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

The keynote was, however, always simplicity — a 
simplicity which many, wearied with the usual func- 
tions, thoroughly enjoyed. When the month closed, 
the hostess, to quote her own words, '* had the mem- 
ory of eight lovely afternoons, and her friends had 
learned to know her visitor as they never would 
have done by a more formal method of entertain- 
ment. ' ' 

When visiting a friend in the city a guest will in- 
form other friends of her presence by a brief infor- 
mal note, mentioning that she is stopping at Mrs. 
Blank 's for two weeks and will be happy to have them 
call, or she may inclose her card with the address. 
If preferred, she may indicate the period of her visit 
by writing in the lower corner of the card, " Until 
October Fifteenth," advising with her hostess, how- 
ever, before doing either, it being very bad form, if 
the guest be a young girl, unaccompanied by an elder, 
to receive a man acquaintance without the consent 
of her hostess. The latter will welcome her guest's 
friends when they call, but after a little will with- 
draw, on some pretext or other, to an adjoining 
room, returning to take leave of the visitor ere he 
departs. If the guest be a woman arrived at the age 
of discretion, the carriage, if there be one, will be put 
at her disposal, that she may go and come as she 
pleases. She will accept invitations of her acquaint- 
ances unknown to her hostess when they do not 
conflict with engagements already made for her by 
the latter, though it is not polite to invite a guest to 



HOSTESS AND GUEST 283 

any general entertainment without also including her 
hostess; a luncheon or dinner party, whenever pos- 
sible, not excepted. On the other hand, the hostess, 
if she be invited to a ball or reception or any large 
general occasion, where an indefinite number of peo- 
ple are to be present, will write and ask permission to 
bring a friend who is stopping with her. Under or- 
dinary circumstances, she will not do so if the in- 
vitation be for a formal luncheon or a dinner party, 
for obvious reasons, though among intimate friends 
all rules and regulations made for ceremonious so- 
ciety can be and frequently are broken. Unless the 
guest be a frequent visitor, or a sensible one who in- 
sists upon it, no host or hostess will leave her for an 
entire evening without providing something for her 
amusement or entertainment. 

The best of whatever is worth seeing, according to 
the means of the host, will be offered to the guest, the 
latter being considerate enough not to allow any 
needless expense to be incurred in her behalf, pay- 
ing her own car fares, cab hires, and express charges, 
unless the host makes serious objection, in which case 
it is better taste upon her part to yield the point than 
to insist upon it. Common sense and good taste, 
which, after all, is but a ready appreciation of the 
fitness of things, will guide guest and host in such 
matters, the desire for making the visit pleasant and 
enjoyable, according to their relative means, being 
mutual. 

When visiting a house where one or no maid is 



284 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

employed, the guest will give as little trouble as pos- 
sible; keep her room tidy, and not litter up other 
apartments with her belongings; be always punctual 
at meals, and in little unsolicited ways make herself 
useful. Where several servants are employed, she 
will not treat them as her own, sending them on er- 
rands, or calling upon them for special services 
without the hostess's knowledge and permission. For 
the time being she is a member of the family, and 
is bound by every law of courtesy to conform in every 
way to the habits of the household. 

When the three graces, charity, unselfishness, and 
courtesy, accompany a guest, the success of his or her 
visit will be assured. If family worship is a custom, 
and the hour is mentioned to the guests, their pres- 
ence is obligatory; if not invited, it would be an 
intrusion. Needless to say, perhaps, no well-bred 
guest will violate the laws of hospitality by comment- 
ing upon, or criticising with another, the extent or 
mode of entertainment offered, except in praise, much 
less betray after her departure any secrets she may 
have learned of the family life, or peculiarities of 
any member of the household, the bond between the 
host and the guest, even among savage tribes, par- 
taking somewhat of a sacred character. In ancient 
Greece, when the guest parted from his host, a sort 
of true-love token in the shape of a die was generally 
broken between them. Each took a part, a family 
connection was thus established, the broken die 
serving as a symbol of recognition should they meet 



HOSTESS AND GUEST 285 

again. The guest upon his departure was frequently 
presented with valuable gifts. 

' ' He who tastes my salt is sacred, ' ' says the Arab ; 
*' neither I nor my household shall attack him, nor 
shall one word be said against him." 

** Whose bread I have eaten, he is henceforth my 
brother." Thus host and guest, among those grave- 
faced children of the desert. Could a nobler creed 
or code of manners be formulated? 

Upon returning home the guest will at once write 
a cordial note of thanks to his or her hostess, not 
forgetting greetings to other members of the family. 
It is also a graceful act to send the hostess a trifling 
gift, a book, a piece of music, a clever game, or, better 
still, a piece of one's handiwork, not in a way sug- 
gesting the idea of paying a social debt, but as a 
graceful reminder of a pleasant visit. A man guest 
will often present his hostess, upon arrival, with a 
box of hoiibons or a basket of fruit, the excellence or 
variety of the article only excusing the gift. 

After visiting a friend at her country seat, or re- 
ceiving an invitation to do so, a call is due her when 
she returns to her town residence. This is one of the 
occasions when the call must be made promptly and 
in person, the civility of an invitation always being 
recognized by people of good breeding, whether one 
accepts or not. 

When departing from a visit it is well to conform 
to custom and give the maid and manservant, if 
there be one, a small gratuity, or a fee, though a self- 



286 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

respecting servant will often refuse it, especially if he 
or she be American born. In this case, some dainty 
article of apparel from one's wardrobe may prove 
acceptable, a bit of lace, necktie, scarfpin, etc. 

*' I knew the Blanks," said a lady in answer to 
enthusiastic praise of a wealthy host who had enter- 
tained with an elaborate dinner the previous day, 
'' when he was a clerk in the establishment of which 
he is now owner, and when they began housekeeping 
in a three-room flat and helped out their chairs with 
cracker boxes, and washed forks between courses, and 
they had a trick of making their guests just as happy 
over cold roast beef and boiled potatoes as they did 
last night over a sixteen-course dinner. Each time 
they gave the best they had, and were so happy in 
giving it that their guests were happy." 

This is the perfection of hospitality, the true es- 
sence of which is distilled of the kindly, unselfish wish 
to give pleasure, and a tactful understanding of the 
fitness of things. 

Perhaps no surer index of breeding exists than is 
displayed in the knowledge of just what degree of 
effort is proper in entertaining. And, primarily, this 
is a matter of sympathetic conception of another per- 
son's desires. If your chief concern is to show off 
your possessions, to give yourself a good time, or 
to save all possible effort, you do ill to call your in- 
tent hospitality. Hospitality has but one aim: the 
guest's pleasure. If a guest cannot be pleased ex- 
cept the household be disrupted, servants irritated, 



HOSTESS AND GUEST 287 

hostess taxed beyond her strength, then that guest 
should be got rid of as gracefully and expeditiously 
as possible, and never, never, never asked again. But 
it is no hospitality to ask a guest to your rooftree and 
expect her to find her sufficient delight in being 
there and doing as you do. Too many tactless per- 
sons, wishing to assume the savoir faire they are far 
from feeling, have fallen into a habit which can be 
excused (if it is excusable at all) only on the ground 
that it is an extreme reaction from the fussiness so 
prevalent a while ago. These persons expect of a 
guest absolute conformity to their ways, and pride 
themselves on " making no fuss " over company, ex- 
pected or unexpected. This is all very well in theory, 
but usually execrable in practice. We can be con- 
formable and workaday at home. When we go away 
to visit we expect something in the nature of a holi- 
day. At home a woman is, perhaps, that member 
of the household who everlastingly ^* conforms " to 
some one else's desire; when she gets her brief res- 
pite, it is but fitting that she should be deferred to, 
that lovely little efforts be made to please her who 
always pleases others and not herself. It is not hos- 
pitality to serve her boiled dinner on Thursday be- 
cause you always have it on Thursday, if she cannot 
abide corned beef and cabbage makes her ill. It is 
NOT hospitality to forget that she dearly loves red 
raspberry pie, and to serve her cornstarch pudding 
because it is less effort for the cook. It is not 
hospitality to ask her to arise at six and breakfast 



288 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

at six-thirty, if she is accustomed to rise at eight, or 
if she is accustomed to early rising and would dearly 
love a morning nap. 

Everyone likes the delicious flattery of having his 
tastes considered. If a woman is used to great luxury 
and cannot be happy without it, do not ask her to 
your house. Nor, if a woman is luiused to great 
luxury and cannot be happy when surrounded by 
it, do not ask her to your splendid establishment. 
The prime object in asking people is to make them 
happy, and if you cannot make them happy you do 
very ill to ask them. If their demands are beyond 
your ability to supply, do not undertake their en- 
tertainment. 

But a well-bred, considerate guest will always seek 
to minimize the effort necessitated by her entertain- 
ment. She wants evidence of the desire to make it, 
and then, true to our common human nature, when 
she has been gratified by the evidence she is willing 
to forego the result. No woman wants a man who 
professes to love her to lay down his life for her; 
but most women would like an occasional indication 
that the man would gladly do it, if need arose. So 
no guest wants to give one iota of unnecessary 
trouble, but every guest likes to feel that no trouble 
would seem unnecessary if it gave him delight. 

In giving, always give the best you can afford — 
of yourself, of your home comforts, of your pleasant 
friendships, of everything. Some hosts impoverish 
themselves for their guests, but this is not deli- 



HOSTESS AND GUEST ^89 

cate hospitality. Hospitality " shares "; that is its 
briefest definition. It may say, " Come and enjoy 
with me my abundance," or it may say, '' Come and 
share with me my content-with-little. " But always 
it seeks to give freely of the joys that it hath. 



CHAPTER XIV 

SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS AND EXERCISES 

THE flag drill is a very pretty opening-day exer- 
cise. It may be given as follows : A large flag 
on a staff is given to a boy who is designated 
as color bearer. He stands on the platform, flanked 
on either side by a boy. If possible, these two boys 
beside him ought to be musicians. A march is played ; 
at the first notes the whole school rises, forms, and 
marches in and out and round the room, each child 
saluting the flag as he or she passes it, while the color 
bearer stands ' ' at attention. ' ' When all have saluted 
the flag, the drill is over. 

The salute consists in each child coming to ^' atten- 
tion ' ' in front of the flag, and raising the right hand, 
palm out, to the forehead. 

This drill can be given to better advantage in an 
empty room, when the marching may be carried out 
to a more elaborate degree. The children, at first 
forming in sixes, march down one side of the room; 
then, as they wheel across, the column breaks into 
twos, ss they pass the flag, stopping and saluting it. 
On the other side of the room the column wheels 
into sixes, marches again down and up the room, 
breaks again into twos, salutes the flag, forms into 
290 



SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS ^91 

sixes, and so on and on the march is continued until 
the teacher orders a halt. 

A class day just before Thanksgiving might com- 
mence with the reading of the President's proclama- 
tion. A harvest hymn follows the reading; then 
comes an account of the first Thanksgiving Day, 
which is followed by another hymn, or a song by the 
whole school. Paul Laurence Dunbar's *' The Signs 
of the Times " might be recited, and other poems 
bearing upon Thanksgiving Day. The children 
should be asked to bring some product of the fields 
for the decoration of the room. 

In one school each child was asked to bring what 
he or she could to make up baskets, which were sent 
to some poor families. It was very refreshing to see 
the pleasure the children showed not only in bring- 
ing their contributions, but also in packing the 
baskets. 

A Christmas entertainment opens with a represen- 
tation of the Wise Men. Three boys, picked out for 
this, sing : ^ ' We three kings of Orient are. ' ' A 
tableau might follow, showing the shepherds in the 
fields listening to the '^ Song of the Angels," which 
is sung by the children who are not in the tableau. 
Pictures (stereopticon), tableau^ or pantomime of the 
Old English Christmas, German Christmas, Puritan 
Christmas, etc., would be a good finale. 

An historical exhibit might be given at any time 

during the school year, and deal with the periods of 

history in which the class is working. For instance, 
20 



292 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

Revolutionary scenes, representing the first Conti- 
nental Congress, in which the boys dress to represent 
some of the most famous of the First Congress — 
Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, 
Patrick Henry, etc. 

The meeting is called to order with due dignity by 
John Hancock; the roll is called, and the various 
members respond to it with sentiments taken from 
the speeches or writings of the one represented. John 
Adams says, ** Sink or swim, live or die, survive or 
perish, I give my heart, my hand, to this vote.'* 
Thomas Jefferson recites the opening sentence of the 
Declaration of Independence. 'John Hancock might 
say what he is represented to have said in the Con- 
gress, * * We must all hang together, ' ' to which Frank- 
lin added, *' or we shall all hang separately." 

A second scene pictures the Battle of Bunker 
Hill, with General Warren urging his men, or the 
poem, '' Charge for the grounds, your own, my 
braves! " being spoken by the boy who represents 
that character. Those who take part are all, if pos- 
sible, in the costume of that day. 

A third scene represents Washington Crossing the 
Delaware. A fourth, the Surrender of Cornwallis, 
with an appropriate reading for the occasion. Other 
scenes will suggest themselves. 

A general historical exhibit has more tableaux 
than the foregoing. The first is The Landing of Co- 
lumbus, with a reading from Lanier ^s " Psalm of the 
West.'' The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, with 



SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS ^93 

the reading of Mrs. Hemans's " Pilgrim Fathers." 
The Liberty Bell, its motto written over it in large 
lettering. Read the Declaration of Independence. 
Columbia surrounded by the Thirteen States; while 
this tableau is shown, a chorus or the whole school 
sings " Columbia, the gem of the ocean." Then 
comes the Battle Field of Gettysburg, with a reading 
from Lincoln's *' Gettysburg Address." A flag drill 
might come in at this point, followed by the national 
anthem. 

These historical exhibits might be good for the 
class-day exercises, or for any of the national holi- 
days. 

A LITERARY DRILL 

This is conducted in either of two ways. In the 
first, an author is selected as the subject. One child 
has to give his name, dates of birth and death; an- 
other tells something about his works; a third child 
reads or recites something from his writings. A 
glimpse of the author's appearance, with a short de- 
scription of his character, is given by another child, 
and the whole is summed up by the teacher, who asks 
the various points that have been given reviewed by 
the scholars. The child who remembers most and 
gets the most points might be rewarded in some way, 
such as by giving him a work by the author under 
discussion or a prettily bound edition. 

The second way to carry out this exercise is to take 
a certain period in literature. Some of the scholars 



^94 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

dress to represent authors of, say, the Elizabethan 
period; one might dress as Shakespeare, another as 
Raleigh, etc. Each one gives the date of the birth of 
the author he represents, some account of his life, 
etc., but always withholding his name. The descrip- 
tion is here given in the first person, and the imper- 
sonator may also quote from the author. The object 
of this drill is to have the rest of the scholars tell, 
from the dates and description, the name of the au- 
thor and what he has written. These drills might 
be given for a class day to which the friends of the 
scholars have been invited. 

GEOGRAPHICAL EXHIBIT 

This consists in having each child come dressed in 
the costume of a country, perhaps of one they have 
learned about in their geography. They bring with 
them a package containing some product of that 
country. These packages are handed to the teacher, 
and when all have been delivered, the scholars are 
asked to tell her from what country the product she 
holds up comes. One of the children points to the 
child who represents that country. Then she or he 
tells the teacher something about the country, and 
also about the product, and, if possible, the journey 
it takes to get to the place where the scholar lives. 
For instance, tea, how it is dried and prepared for 
market, and by what course it would come to us. 
The parents and friends might be invited to attend 



SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS 295 

the exhibit, which ends by the scholars singing some 
of the national anthems, and ending with their own. 

ARITHMETIC EXHIBIT 

In this, each scholar is provided with a large paste- 
board figure, cut out to represent one of the digits; 
these should be about a foot high. Some children 
should carry ciphers and others the four signs (+, 
— , X, and -:-) and " equals " ( = ). The object of 
the exhibit is to go through the four rules by the use 
of these figures. For example : the teacher calls out 
25 X 25 ; the children representing these figures come 
forward, and also the sign =. The answer is made 
by the children 6, 2, 5, who represent it; they take 
their places in proper order after == (equals). If the 
children representing the proper answer cannot give 
it, others are asked to pick out the right figiires and to 
bring them forward. A variation of this is the living 
multiplication table. For instance, take the third 
line. The child who represents three comes up and 
stands in a designated place, next comes the sign 
(X), then one; without a word, up comes equals 
( = ), and lastly another three; and so on all down 
the line. The children can either remain in their 
places until the whole line is complete, or might go 
back to their places, as it suits the teacher. This 
might be carried out as a drill, the children coming 
forward without having to be told to by the teacher. 
In such a case the children might all be dressed in 



296 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

one color, and when the line is complete they could 
all march, the whole five in a row, and by degrees 
form into four abreast, then three, and so on, until 
only the digit representing the line of tables taken 
remains. 

LIVING SPELLING BEE 

The living spelling bee can be carried out in much 
the same way. A word is given out, and the children 
who represent the correct letters come forward of 
their own volition. Columns of five words each might 
be formed, and a sentence as a finale. For instance, 
'' A merry Christmas,'' *' Good-by,'' ** God bless 
you/' '* A happy New Year," etc. 

THE COUNTY FAIR 

This is a very instructive affair all the way 
through, without appearing to be. Boys and girls are 
asked to bring exhibits of their own making or grow- 
ing, if they have gardens; also their pets, some of 
which, perhaps, they have raised. It is well to let 
the children help in every detail of the fair, not only 
as exhibitors but * ' behind the scenes. ' ' The fair can 
be held in a hall or tent, which should be divided off 
into sections, with proper places for the birds and 
animals; or for the doll show — the dolls, of course, 
have been dressed by their little owners ; or for fancy 
and plain work. A judge is appointed, and prizes or 
medals may be given. At one county fair a boy of 



SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS 297 

fourteen received a prize for a miniature wagon 
which he himself had constructed. Another boy, 
much younger, had a pug dog whom he had taught all 
sorts of tricks ; he also received a prize. Girls ' prizes 
might be given for the best biscuit, bread, or cake; 
the best-dressed doll; the neatest piece of hemming, 
etc. Some of the children might raise plants from 
seed; some boys are clever in raising squabs and 
canaries. There are many ways the county fair 
might be held, and for many objects. It is well to 
teach children to give to the children in hospitals, 
or to poor children. 

HANDICRAFT EXHIBIT 

In schools where manual training is a part of the 
course, it is a good plan to give an exhibition once or 
twice a year. This might consist of an exhibition of 
carpentering, designing in all its various branches, 
modeling in clay, free-hand and mechanical drawing, 
etc. Every exhibit should be arranged like any pub- 
lic affair — ^this not only teaches the pupil arrange- 
ment, but it also shows the work exhibited to better 
advantage — and marked with the name of the ex- 
hibitor. Music always adds greatly to such affairs, 
and it would be well if this part of the programme 
were carried out by the scholars themselves. 



298 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

APRIL 19TH 

April 19th is an anniversary that no school should 
neglect. Have " Paul Revere 's Ride " (by Longfel- 
low) and Lowell's '' Ode to Freedom " recited, also 
Emerson's '' By the rude bridge that arched the 
flood." Show pictures of Old North Church, where 
the signal lanterns hung in the belfry for Paul Re- 
vere, of Lexington Common and the Memorial Stone, 
of the North Bridge at Concord, with the monument 
to the British dead on one side and Daniel French's 
* * Minuteman " on the other. Get good prose de- 
scriptions of the event and have them read. Sing 
*' America " and '* The People's Song of Peace " by 
Joaquin Miller. 

ARBOR DAY 

Each child ought to be provided with a branch of 
some tree, and one or two boys should have hatchets 
and spades. Selections to be read might be such as 
^' Woodman, spare that tree," the lines from Evan- 
geline beginning '' This is the forest primeval," 
*' Thanatopsis, " etc. At a given signal all will rise 
and stand in the aisle, and wave back and forth the 
branches they have brought with them, singing at 
the same time an appropriate song. During the 
singing the children march out with their branches, 
and a tree is planted in the school yard or some suit- 
able place. The exercises end with singing. 



SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS 299 

ATHLETIC CONTEST 

This is best given in the spring or fall. Sometimes 
it is held in the school yard, if it is possible to secure 
seats for the onlookers. 

In this the boys of the school, or of different 
schools, take part, the exercises consisting of run- 
ning, jumping, pole-vaulting, throwing the baseball, 
etc. Prizes are given to the winners, and also to 
those who come second in each contest. 

Each competitor begins, as a tournament began, 
by asking for a favor from one of the fair ladies, 
which favor he wears throughout the day. The 
prizes are awarded to the winners by those from 
whom they received their favors. 

MAY DAY 

At a May-Day party given indoors in one school, 
the children were shown how to make baskets by cut- 
ting cardboard into squares measuring about eight 
inches, and sewing together the opposite corners. 
These baskets they filled with wild flowers they had 
gathered the afternoon before. Handles for the bas- 
kets were made of wire fastened underneath the 
sewed-down corners, and the children marched to 
music, carrying their baskets and singing their pretty 
songs. Recitations about birds, flowers, and spring 
were brought in between the exercises. After the 
festival the baskets were taken to hospitals, and to sick 
children in poor homes. 



300 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

FLOWER HUNT 

A picnic and a botany class were combined in one 
school; the children brought their lunch to school, 
and if the day was seasonable they all ate it out-of- 
doors. Afterwards they started off in search of speci- 
mens, the teacher having explained to them some- 
thing of the classification of flowers. The first after- 
noon the children gathered specimens, and soon 
learned how to tell to what family the flowers they 
had picked belonged. When they returned home they 
carried armfuls of flowers to give to any sick people 
they knew. 

MEMORIAL DAY 

Recitations appropriate for Memorial Day are: 
'' All Quiet Along the Potomac," by Ethel Lynn 
Beers; ** Rifleman, shoot me a fancy shot," by 
Charles Dawson Shanley; '' Soldier, rest! thy war- 
fare o'er," from '' The Lady of the Lake "; ''The 
Blue and the Gray," by F. M. Finch; " Peace," by 
Phoebe Cary; '' The Bivouac of the Dead," by Theo- 
dore O'Hara; '' Sheridan's Ride," by T. B. Read; 
*' Barbara Frietchie," by Whittier; " Old Iron- 
sides," by 0. W. Holmes, etc.; including, whatever 
else is or is not on the programme, Lincoln's Memorial 
Address at Gettysburg. 

An account might be read of the Civil War from 
both standpoints. A short talk might be given on one 
of the battles by an old soldier who was present, and 



SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS 301 

patriotic songs should be sung in chorus. Pictures 
of all the heroes of the war should be hung in the 
schoolroom, and the children might bring flowers to 
hang around them. The room should be decorated 
with flags, and perhaps some old arms which had been 
used in the war. 

FLAG DAY 

'June 14th is the day set apart as the birthday of 
the Stars and Stripes, and should be observed if pos- 
sible. Decorate with flags and with red, white, and 
blue bunting. Display a picture of the Betsey Ross 
house, and interest the children in the association 
(composed largely of children) which has for its ob- 
ject the preservation of this historic dwelling. Have 
some one recite *' The American Flag," by Joseph 
Rodman Drake, and, of course, the singing of '' The 
Star-Spangled Banner " is a very prominent feature 
of the occasion. Have some one tell, or read in an 
essay, how Francis Scott Key came to write it. If 
the class is large enough, have a flag exercise as fol- 
lows: Thirteen children represent the thirteen origi- 
nal States, costumed as nearly as possible in charac- 
teristic way — Massachusetts, a Puritan; Virginia, a 
Cavalier; Pennsylvania, a Quaker; New York, a 
Knickerbocker, etc. On the wall behind where 
these are grouped in a tableau hangs a large flag with 
thirteen stars, and blue ground sufficient for all the 
others. The remaining stars, neatly cut out of white 
cotton duck, are in a basket on the teacher's desk. 



302 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

One by one the States admitted come forward in 
chronological order, represented as characteristically 
as possible, and the child who represents each, after 
telling something of its pioneer history and the date 
of its admission, pins a star onto the blue field, and 
then joins the ranks on the platform and is welcomed 
by those already there. Kentucky represented by 
Daniel Boone, California by a " Forty-niner," Ore- 
gon by Lewis or Clarke, and so forth, gives an op- 
portunity for one of the best possible displays of 
the school year, and makes necessary much research. 
As a final tableau, Porto Rico, Alaska, and the Philip- 
pine and Hawaiian islands might appear, and over 
them be waved the Stars and Stripes. 

COMMENCEMENT BANQUETS 

For a graduating banquet the decorations are in 
class colors, the centerpiece made of silk or some other 
material, even crepe paper, cut into the figures repre- 
senting the year. Each member of the class should 
be furnished with a card bearing the name of the 
school, with the date of graduation, and a pencil at- 
tached. On these cards each student is to write his 
name, so that each shall have the autograph of the 
entire class; to the cards might be attached a favor 
symbolical of some event in the school life of the 
student, or something characteristic of the school. 

In the Cap-and-Gown supper or banquet students 
are dressed in cap and gown. The favors are dolls 



SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS 303 

dressed likewise. For the centerpiece have a large 
representation of an inverted college cap, and place 
inside a bowl of the class flowers. The ices are served 
in miniature college caps lined with white paper. 
The cakes are in the shape of hollow rolls; a roll of 
white paper is tucked within, on which a couplet or 
verse appropriate to the occasion has been written. 
The rolls represent diplomas, and are tied with rib- 
bons. 

SKULL AND CROSSBONE SUPPER 

The centerpiece is a large skull made of white pa- 
per, hollow at the top to admit of a bowl of flowers. 
The ices are served in miniature .skulls, crossbones 
attached. If there is to be smoking, ash trays, etc., 
might be in the style of skulls. The toastmaster 's 
chair is decorated with skull and bones. Toasts might 
be given, if in a college where there is rowing, " on 
the skulls " (sculls) ; on the " crossbones " of the 
college; on the college meals, under the heading of 
* ' Bones " ; on the college intellect, under the heading 
of " How Hollow 'Tis,"ete. 

MOCK COMMENCEMENT 

Mock Commencement makes a good class banquet. 
The toastmaster impersonates principal or president, 
and addresses the class ; a graduate reads a brief es- 
say on '' Per aspera ad astra," or some equally joke- 



S04 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

worn theme, and a bogus chairman of the board of 
directors presents diplomas as follows: 

To the most popular member, a wooden spoon. 

To the handsomest, a mirror. 

To the most industrious, a garden implement for 
digging. 

To the fattest, a pair of scales. 

To the thinnest, a bottle of tonic. 

To the most talkative, a pair of clappers, etc. 

Following this, the class historian may read its 
history (comic), the prophet may read its future, 
some one who will be a lawyer may make its will, be- 
queathing certain traditions to the Juniors, etc. 



CHAPTER XV 

CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS, ETC. 

THE etiquette of the visiting card is a fluctu- 
ating one. It cannot be laid down for all 
time, or even for next season. Time was 
when to send cards by post to the hostess on the day 
of the tea or reception which could not be attended 
in person was a breach of etiquette; now it has be- 
come a rule of etiquette instead. The turning down 
of the side or corner of a card was once good form; 
now it is the opposite, betraying ignorance of con- 
ventions. The custom of leaving whole packs of cards 
at a tea, from all the members of the invited families, 
on all the members and guests in the family of the 
hostess, is now gradually fading away, as it deserves 
to do. Anyone w^ho has seen a careful matron leave 
five of her husband's cards, five of her son's, five of 
her daughter's, and five of her own, upon the card 
salver in the hall at an afternoon tea given by a 
household of three sisters who have two guests stay- 
ing with them for whom the tea is given, can appre^ 
ciate the humors of the situation. And anyone who 
has seen the average messenger boy ** post cards in 
a snowbank " realizes the superior advantages of the 
post office in the way of punctuality and certainty. 

305 



306 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

A great deal about card etiquette can be learned 
from a good stationer. The fashionable size and 
shape varies, and the fashionable stationer can give 
all needed information on these points to the buyer, 
whether by mail or in person. An unglazed card is 
always the rule, and plain script is never out of 
order, though other styles of engraving come and go 
continually. Nowadays ** Mr.'' is invariably pre- 
fixed to a man's name on his visiting card, unless he 
be a clergyman, doctor, or army or navy officer. 
Political and judicial titles are always omitted. 
LL.D., or any other professional title, is placed after 
the name. If living at a club, the address is put on 
the lower left-hand corner; if living at home, in the 
lower right-hand corner. On a woman's card, 
** Mrs." or ** Miss " is always prefixed to the name. 
The wife of the oldest member of the oldest branch 
of a family may use her husband's surname on her 
card without initials. The oldest daughter of the 
oldest branch can also use a card without initials. 
With these exceptions, the proper form at present is 
to have the name engraved in full. 

During a girl's first year in society she is sup- 
posed to have no card of her own, but her name is 
engraved on her mother's card, as thus: 

MRS. HENRY EVANS WILSON, 
MISS DOROTHY WILSON. 

After the first year each daughter has her own card, 
however. A widow has no cards during her year 



CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS 307 

of mourning, as she makes no formal visits. After 
that, cards with black border of any depth desired 
are used. Either the late husband's name or the 
widow's baptismal name may be used on her card; 
but when her husband's name is duplicated in the 
family, it is far better and more courteous for her 
tO'Use her own name, to avoid confusion. When her 
married son has the father 's full name, the son 's wife 
is entitled to it without the *' Jr.," but the dowager 
widow, by adding " Sr.," can continue to use it, if 
she chooses, without causing confusion. Over this 
point many family tempests in a teapot have raged. 
The elder woman objects to giving up her husband's 
full name; the daughter-in-law objects to the incor- 
rect ''Jr." A contest of this kind in Newport so- 
ciety, it will be remembered, caused the post office 
a great deal of trouble and embarrassment, and set 
the whole country smiling at the absurd tug of war. 
Such a conflict should never happen, for the rights 
of the case are clearly with the son's wife, though in 
many cases she wisely and courteously yields, and 
lets the obstinate older woman violate etiquette. 

A newly married couple use a " Mr. and Mrs." 
card for the first year after marriage, in returning 
the ceremonious calls after the wedding, and in pay- 
ing formal calls when the husband is unable to ac- 
company the wife. They should have the address in 
the right-hand corner, and the reception day or days 
in the lower left-hajid corner. After the first year 

they are seldom used in paying calls, but can be used 
21 



308 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

for condolence, congratulation, or P.P.C. where both 
husband and wife desire to be formally represented. 

The birth of a child may be announced by small 
cards containing the full name of the child daintily 
engraved, with the date of birth in the lower left- 
hand corner. The card is tied to the mother's card 
by white ribbon, and both are inclosed in one en- 
velope and sent by mail. 

Mourning cards are of the same size as ordinary 
ones. The width of the border is to be regulated by 
the degree of relationship. 

Written cards are allowable only in cases of neces- 
sity. The name should be written in full, and should 
be the autograph of the sender. To write anything 
on an engraved card except *' Condolence,'' '* Con- 
gratulations," *' P.P.C," is not considered good 
style, although, of course, a lady may use her visit- 
ing cards with ** Five o'clock tea," " Music," 
** Reading," or *' Garden party " in the lower left- 
hand corner. A man, however, may not do this. The 
tale is told of one Mr. B — , a rich but ignorant young 
man, who sent a card to an eccentric lady of inter- 
national social experience, having written upon it: 
*' At home, Tuesday, November — ." The brusque 
and enlightening reply came by note: " Mrs. R — 
is very glad to hear that Mr. B — is at home; she 
hopes that he will stay there; but of what possible 
consequence is that to Mrs. R — ? " Mr. B — should 
have sent an engraved invitation, or written note, 
'* requesting the pleasure," as men neither should 



CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS 309 

use ** At Home '* nor write upon cards. A man's 
card is always smaller and narrower than those used 
by women — as a hint, perhaps, that nothing should 
be written on it. 

Having proper styles of cards for all occasions, 
what shall the possessor of them do next? The eti- 
quette of calls and cards is fixed in Europe; it is be- 
coming fixed in Washington; but in most American 
cities or towns it is more or less governed by local 
customs. New York has one set, Boston another, 
Philadelphia a third. The American woman does her 
best in the confused maze. Some of the Washington 
customs, however, ought to be copied the country 
over — ^the one as to first calls, for example. In Wash- 
ington, the newcomer calls upon those residents whom 
she desires to know. The residents, from the highest 
official down, return their cards; and the visitor re- 
ceives invitations to many receptions and large func- 
tions, and is thus started upon a social career that 
will prove successful if she has charm and ability 
enough to be recognized as desirable. 

In other cities, the resident is supposed to call upon 
the newcomer. But in practice the resident does not 
know usually anything about the stranger, and may 
not even have heard of her arrival. An expedient 
tried by some women, and found to work well, is the 
sending out of cards for several days in the month, 
by the newcomer, to those residents with whom she 
would like to become acquainted. If she can inclose 
the card of a mutual friend, as a silent voucher for 



310 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

her social standing, it is a great help. For these 
cards to bring no response is the exception ; and fre- 
quently, in this way, a pleasant circle of acquaint- 
ances is soon secured. 

A visitor in a city, who expects to stay some time, 
and has acquaintances there, should send out cards 
upon arrival, bearing her address, and then wait to 
be called upon. Upon leaving, if she has not been 
able to return her calls, a P.P.C. card, sent by mail, 
fulfills the obligation. 

A first call must be returned within a week, by 
common custom. Any invitation by a new acquaint- 
ance, whether accepted or not, also requires an im- 
mediate leaving of cards, and a prompt regret or 
acceptance. A call within the week is also in order. 
After that, the acquaintance may be kept up or not, 
but etiquette requires this recognition of the first in- 
vitation. No first visit can be properly returned by 
card only ; it should be returned in person, if possible. 
In a large and busy city, a society woman already 
overburdened with visiting, charities, etc., may send 
a card, and follow it with an invitation to an " At 
Home," and not be counted rude, since an invitation 
is supposed to cancel all obligations. But in a small 
town, where women have some leisure, there is no 
excuse for remissness. 

After a dinner party a guest must call in person, 
and within a week, if possible. For all other enter- 
tainments New York's etiquette permits that cards 
may be sent. Men get off easily, for a man's wife, 



CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS 311 

mother, or sister can leave his card for him nowa- 
days, though really strict etiquette requires that he 
should call in person. If, however, a man receives 
a dinner or ball invitation from new acquaintances, 
he is bound to send an immediate answer, call and 
leave his card next day, and call again after the 
entertainment, whether he attends it or not. 

Once an acquaintance is established, it is kept up, 
according to the conventions, by calling once a year. 
This call is made by attending an afternoon tea or 
reception just as much as by paying a formal visit. 
One's card, left on the hall table at a reception or 
tea, establishes the acquaintance for the year; and 
no call is required after either of these forms of " At 
Home," for they are simply methods of receiving 
one's friends. So, also, an invitation does away with 
the necessity of a call, and shifts the responsibility 
of calling during the next twelve months to the per- 
son invited. A visiting book is a necessary affair in 
a social circle of large size, as it enables one to keep 
the run of one's calls. A weekly day for being " At 
Home," which is further made useful, in the morn- 
ing, by receiving all the people who wish to see the 
housekeeper on business matters, simplifies things for 
women in large cities. In a small place it is hardly 
suitable, and frequently absurd, to have an ''At 
Home " day or a series of receptions. Good breed- 
ing consists in doing the suitable thing, not the 
showy one. 

In this connection it may be said that, when desir- 



312 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

ing to excuse herself from receiving callers, the best 
formula to teach the maid is, ** Mrs. Blank is not 
receiving to-day." This avoids what some consider 
the doubtful truth of *^ Mrs. Blank is not at home," 
and yet need offend no one. Of course this must be 
used at the door, in answer to the caller's first in- 
quiry, and not after the threshold has been crossed. 

As to the proper number of cards to leave, the rule 
is one for each person called upon. But in the case 
of several sisters living together, for example, one 
card, when all are called on, may legitimately be 
used. *' Never more than three cards " is a good 
rule to follow. When guests are staying at a house, 
however, a card should be left, punctiliously, for 
each guest included in the call. The turning down 
of a card used to indicate that all were called upon ; 
but this, as has been said, is no longer good form. 

In calling upon a young girl, whether she be a 
guest or not, a young man should leave cards not only 
for her, but for her mother or hostess. If he be a 
stranger to the hostess, though living in the same 
town, it makes no difference. The acquaintance 
drops, unless both desire to keep it up, and it binds 
neither to anything. It is simply that to call upon 
the guest, without including the hostess, would be 
rude; and there is no presumption in leaving a card, 
even if the young man be poor and shy, and the host- 
ess a leader of society. The card, however, must not 
be accompanied by a request to see the hostess; it is 
purely formal. 



CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS 313 

If a lady is invited to a tea or other general en- 
tertainment through a friend, without personally 
knowing the hostess or being called on by her, she 
can accept with perfect propriety, but is bound to 
call soon, and may invite the hostess in return. If 
her call is not returned nor her invitation accepted, 
the acquaintance is then at an end. 

The caller must never hand the card to her hostess 
personally. If, on entering the door, she finds her 
there, the card is simply not necessary. If one wishes 
to leave one 's address, the card can be laid on the hall 
table in passing. For a formal call, fifteen or twenty 
minutes is the proper limit of time. The hostess, in' 
receiving callers, rises, but need not cross the room to 
meet them, unless, on account of their age or distinc- 
tion, she wishes to be especially courteous. 

A letter of introduction should be left in person, 
with a card, but without asking to see the one ad- 
dressed ; or it may be sent by mail, with card inclosed. 
The one receiving the card and letter should then call 
in person, within three days. Business letters of in- 
troduction, of course, need no formalities whatever, 
but are presented in person. 

The subject of invitations and acceptances or re- 
grets is not complicated, though certainly varied; it 
follows simple rules. A formal invitation is always 
in the third person, and should be given well before- 
hand — two weeks for a ball, a large dinner, or a 
formal luncheon. Never to mix up the second and 
third persons, in writing an invitation, must be re- 



314 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

membered. " Mrs. Smith requests the pleasure of 
your company " is neither good grammar nor good 
form; " Mrs. Smith requests the pleasure of Mrs. 
Brown's company " is both. Names and dates should 
be distinctly written. People have come to dinner on 
the wrong evening through carelessness in this re- 
spect. For a dinner, the invitations must always be 
given in the name of both the host and the hostess. 
For balls, '' At Homes," teas, garden parties, and so 
on, the hostess invites alone. At a wedding, of course, 
the names of both are used. So also a widower whose 
eldest daughter conducts his house, uses his name and 
hers together on dinner invitations, receptions, and 
'* At Homes," if he so chooses, though he can invite 
alone. 

A dinner invitation is worded as follows: 

MR. AND MRS. JAMES SMITH 

BEQUEST THE PLEASURE OF 

MR. AND MRS. JOHN ROBINSON'S Company at Dinner, 

ON Friday Evening, May Sixteenth, at seven o'clock, 

42 Garden Place. 

For a ball, the invitation would run : 
MRS. JAMES SMITH 

REQUESTS THE PLEASURE OF THE COMPANY OF 

MR. AND MRS. JOHN ROBINSON, 
ON Thursday Evening, December Fifth, 

AT nine o'clock. 

Dancing. R.S.V.P. 



CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS 315 

No matter how large a private ball is given, it is 
never called a '' ball " in the invitations. Only for 
a public ball is the word used, and " party " and 
^' evening party " are also never employed. ^^ Co- 
mo7i/' " reception," " At Home," " music," '' dan- 
cing," are the formulas instead. 

Informal invitations follow no rule, of course ; they 
are written in the first person and signed. Or visit- 
ing cards can be used in this way, by writing 
'' Music," " Five-o'clock tea," " Readings," and so 
forth, in one corner. 

Formal card invitations, regularly engraved, to 
'* At Homes," etc., are larger than visiting-card size. 
All good stationers in the larger cities know the for- 
mulas, and are authorities on sizes and shapes of 
cards, paper, and so on. 

Acceptances and regrets have an invariable rule. 
They correspond exactly to the invitation. The re- 
sponse to a dinner invitation would be, for instance: 

MR. AND MRS. JOHN ROBINSON 

ACCEPT WITH PLEASURE THE POLITE INVITATION OF 

MR. AND MRS. JAMES SMITH for Dinner 
ON Friday, May Sixteenth, at seven o'clock. 

An informal invitation, written in the first person, 
is answered in the first person. The invitation serves 
always as the guide for the reply. Like all rules, 
however, the invariable admits one exception. An 
informal card invitation, with its written-in words, 



316 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

is never answered in the same fashion. To write 
'* accepts " or *' regrets " on one's cards is bad 
form. To send one's card on the day of the affair 
shows that the sender cannot come, but ^' regrets" 
is not written on it, even in that case. Usually these 
card invitations require no answer. Either the in- 
vited person goes or sends a card on the day. If, 
however, an answer is expected, a note must be 
written. 

Invitations can be sent, quite properly, to those in 
mourning, after a month has passed. A dinner or 
luncheon invitation would be unsuitable; but for 
weddings and large general entertainments the invi- 
tations are sent, to show that society does not forget 
those who have retired from it for a time by reason 
of bereavement. After a year of mourning has 
passed, it is customary to send out cards with a nar- 
row black border to all who have invited the family, 
or called, during that time. 

A dinner or luncheon invitation requires a prompt 
and precise answer. It is not fair for the invited 
person to respond that she will *' come if she can," 
or ' ' thinks she can come. ' ' The hostess, in arranging 
her table, has to know exactly whom she can count 
upon. Therefore, if there is uncertainty, it is more 
polite to refuse at once. 

In asking for an invitation for a guest, great cau- 
tion must be used, and it is not right to feel any 
offense if the request is refused. The hostess may 
be obliged to limit the number, and find it impossible 



CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS 317 

to invite any extra ones. To ask for an invitation 
for people living in the same town, whom the hostess 
does not know, is a particularly delicate affair. A 
distinguished stranger, a guest from another city, a 
young dancing man, are almost always invited with 
pleasure by the giver of an entertainment other than 
a dinner or luncheon. For the latter, one must never 
ask for the privilege of bringing another guest. The 
most that can be done is to write that the invitation 
must be declined, because a friend is staying with the 
person invited and cannot be left. Under these cir- 
cumstances the invitation is usually promptly ex- 
tended, unless the number is complete save one 
and cannot be enlarged. In a very formal acquaint- 
ance even this much is unwise, and the regret 
should be without explanation, lest a hint be sus- 
pected. 

A great deal of informal invitation is now done by 
means of the telephone. There is, naturally, no eti- 
quette whatever for this. It has come to be proper 
and recognized, and is an immense convenience. No 
formal invitations, however, are given over the tele- 
phone ; and with new acquaintances the courtesy of a 
personal note is more suitable, even in informal 
cases. No note of invitation should ever be answered 
by telephone, unless a request to do so is part of the 
note. 

Many stationers keep engraved forms of invita- 
tion, on heavy cards or cream-laid paper, in which 
the names of the guests and the dates can be written 



318 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

in. The names of the host and hostess, or the hostess 
alone, are part of the engraving, of course. Families 
who entertain often find these forms useful and suit- 
able. For those who entertain seldom they are ob- 
viously out of place. 

Invitations to children's birthday parties, in gilt 
lettering on dainty paper, are also pretty and proper 
for children too young to write fluently. A blank 
is left for the name of the guest, and the little host 
or hostess fills it in in printed or written style; or 
else the invitation is in the first person, and the child 
writes the name of the guests and signs the invita- 
tions. 

In answering any invitation, it must be answered 
to the persons who send it, though (as in wedding in- 
vitations) they may be total strangers. There is no 
exception to this rule, which many people seemingly 
do not understand. There are occasions, also, when 
an invitation is purely perfunctory, as when em- 
ployees are asked to their employer's wedding, and 
yet where courtesy demands a call. In such a case a 
card left within a short time at the door, with no re- 
quest to see anybody, but as a matter of courteous 
good form, is the proper thing. 

In general, it may be said, when an invitation is 
received, the proper procedure is to answer it in the 
same form in which it is written, as far as possible. 
Thus, a wedding invitation should be answered in the 
third person, and following the wording of the in- 
vitation, when asked to the house. 



CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS 319 

When asked only to the church, no answer is nec- 
essary but one's card, inclosed in an envelope and 
sent so as to reach the house on the day of the wed- 
ding. Those who are invited to the wedding recep- 
tion, or to a home wedding, are considered to be more 
or less intimate friends of the bride and groom or 
their families. It is therefore always in order for 
them to send a present, if they choose. Not all who 
are invited to the reception, however, do send pres- 
ents, and those who are only invited to the church 
can and do often send gifts. There is no hard-and- 
fast rule about it. 

When ^' At Home " cards are inclosed, giving ad- 
dress and date when the young couple will receive, it 
is proper to call on them on that date, or send cards 
if not living in the same town, but no other acknowl- 
edgment is necessary. 

When invited to a public ball or assembly, or to 
any function requiring a ticket, the invitation should 
be answered immediately, and, if declined, the ticket 
(if it has been inclosed) should be returned. An- 
swers should be sent to the person or committee 
issuing the invitation. 

When invited to an afternoon tea, no acknowledg- 
ment is necessary, except that on the day of the tea 
the invited person either attends it or sends a card 
in token of regret. But nothing must be written on 
the card; it explains itself. The same rule applies to 
answering " At Home " invitations. 

To invitations in general, such as to dinners, 



320 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS 

luncheons, musicales, breakfasts, dances, receptions, 
theater parties, etc., a written note of acceptance or 
regret must be returned within one week at the latest, 
while for the first four an immediate answer is 
usually expected. 

Introductions follow rather rigid rules. It is un- 
pardonable to introduce anyone after being warned 
not to do so. When a man is brought up to be in- 
troduced to a woman, they do not shake hands, but 
bow and smile. If either fails to hear the other *s 
name, it is correct to say to the one introduced, ' * Par- 
don me, but I failed to hear your name.'* A mother 
should not introduce her daughter as ** Miss Ethel 
Smith, ' ' but * * my daughter Ethel. ' ' Men are always 
introduced to women, single persons to married ones, 
and a younger person to an elder, and the formula 
is, when presenting a man to a woman, ' ' Miss Smith, 
allow me to introduce Mr. Eobinson.'* In other 
cases, *' Mr. Brown, may I present Mr. Clark? " is 
the usual formula. A woman's permission should 
always be asked before presenting any man to her; 
and a man, after being introduced to a woman, must 
wait for her to bow first, when he meets her again, 
before he can venture to claim her as an acquaintance. 
The hostess has a right to introduce any of her guests 
to each other, and the guests have an equal right to 
speak to each other without introduction, their pres- 
ence under the rooftree being taken as a guarantee of 
their social standing. Modern etiquette tends rather 
toward exelusiveness, and the safeguarding of intro- 



CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS 3^1 

ductions; yet a kind-hearted and tactful hostess 
introduces the young, the shy, and those who ought, 
in her opinion, to know each other and will enjoy 
each other's society. 



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THE END 



' f -**- 



0J20 273S; 



